FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Burma

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support his Department has given to the Burmese Army since July 2013.

Hugo Swire: The British Government has not provided any support to the Burmese Army since July 2013.
	In January 2014, a civil-military team from the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom in collaboration with Cranfield university will deliver a Managing Defence in a Wider Security Context course in Burma to 30 students, drawn from Burma's Government and the Burmese military. This course will develop the professionalism of the Burmese armed forces within a democratic framework by raising awareness of effective governance and management in support of the policies of a civilian government. The programme will also include an examination of the legal framework by which defence and security operations are legitimised and controlled in line with international human rights and humanitarian law. The course will not contain any combat or combat related elements.

China

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Chinese counterparts on forced organ harvesting in that country.

Hugo Swire: I refer the right hon. Member to my previous answer to my hon. Friend the Member for East Londonderry (Mr Campbell), dated 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 633W.

Egypt

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the treatment of minority religious groups in Egypt.

Hugh Robertson: We are deeply concerned at the treatment of minority religious groups in Egypt. On 20 October four Coptic Christians were killed, and many injured at a Coptic Christian wedding in Cairo. This was the latest incident in a trend of violence against religious minorities across Egypt. On 21 October our ambassador to Egypt wrote to the Coptic Pope to offer his condolences and a senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office official contacted the head of the Coptic Church in the UK to express our sympathy. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has publicly condemned all acts of violence. We recently encouraged the committee tasked with drafting Egypt's new constitution to ensure stronger protection under the rule of law for all citizens.

EU Justice and Home Affairs

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the possible financial implications of opting out of each of the police and criminal justice measures in the third pillar of the EU treaties; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: On 9 July the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), announced to Parliament that the Government intended to exercise the UK's opt-out under the Lisbon treaty and seek to rejoin a package of 35 police and criminal justice measures which are in the UK's national interest. Following debates and votes in both Houses of Parliament the Prime Minister wrote to the President of the Council of Ministers on 24 July to provide formal notification that the Government has decided to exercise its right, provided for by article 10(4) of protocol 36 to the treaties, to opt out of all pre-Lisbon police and criminal justice measures.
	The Secretary of State has committed to providing Parliament with an impact assessment on the final list of measures that the UK will apply to rejoin. This will be done in good time ahead of the second vote on this matter and contain all relevant information.

EU Law

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will publish her Department's cost-benefit analysis of opting back in to Council Decision 2010/348/EC of 17 November 2008; and if she will make a statement.

David Lidington: Council Decision 2010/348/EC of 17 November 2008 is a measure subject to the UK's 2014 JHA Opt-out decision. This measure is not included in the set of 35 measures that the Government has announced that it will seek to rejoin. As stated in Command Paper 8671, the Government does not consider that there are any financial implications associated with Council Decision 2010/348/EC of 17 November 2008.
	The my the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), has committed to providing Parliament with an impact assessment on the final list of measures that the UK will apply to rejoin. This will be done in good time ahead of the second vote on this matter and contain all relevant information.

Iran

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the treatment of religious and other minorities in Iran.

Hugh Robertson: Officials at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have a regular dialogue with those following the human rights situation in Iran—including the treatment of religious and other minorities. Iran's treatment of these groups—in particular of the Bahai and Christian communities—continues to be a serious source of concern. On 23 October during the UN General Assembly the UK spoke publicly in support of the report by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights Situation in Iran, which documented the persecution of minority groups in Iran.

Maldives

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Maldives counterpart on human rights issues and the persecution of Christians.

Hugo Swire: We continue to hold serious concerns about human rights issues in Maldives, including on freedom of religion, freedom of expression, rule of law, children's rights and women's rights. We are also aware of allegations of police brutality and arrests which appear to be politically motivated.
	We continue to raise our concerns with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Islamic Affairs on human rights and on religious freedom. We have supported religious freedom in Maldives through funding projects to promote moderate Islam. For example, we have previously organised a visit of young British Muslims to share liberal Islamic views with Maldivian youth.
	We will continue to engage with the Government of Maldives about human rights concerns, including religious freedom in order to ensure that Maldives fulfils its international obligations on human rights.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

EU Institutions

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Attorney-General how many visits Ministers from the Law Officers' Departments made to either the European Commission or the European Parliament in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

Oliver Heald: No visits have been made by Ministers from the Law Officers' Departments to either the European Commission or the European Parliament during this time.

Redundancy

Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Attorney-General how many staff in the Law Officers' Departments were made redundant in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and how many such staff received payments in lieu of notice.

Oliver Heald: In 2010-11 there were two individuals in the Crown Prosecution Service who were made compulsorily redundant and received payments in lieu of notice. There were no compulsory redundancies in 2011-12 or in 2012-13.
	There were no compulsory redundancies in the remaining Law Officers' Departments during the years in question.

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Attorney-General how many people in Northern Ireland have been (a) charged and (b) convicted under anti-terrorism legislation in each year since 2007.

Dominic Grieve: The figures given in the tables refer to offences contained within the Terrorism Act (2000), Terrorism Act (2006) and Counter Terrorism Act (2008). Many offences of terrorism are prosecuted for offences that are not contained in anti-terrorist legislation, such as murder, attempted murder and offences contrary to the Explosive Substance Act 1883 'and Firearms (Northern Ireland) Order 2004.
	
		
			 Number of persons charged with an offence under Terrorism Legislation 
			  Total 
			 2007 16 
			 2008 6 
			 2009-10 8 
			 2010-11 19 
			 2011-12 19 
			 2012-13 52 
		
	
	
		
			 Number of persons convicted of an offence under Terrorism Legislation 
			  Crown court Magistrates court Total 
			 2007 6 1 7 
			 2008 8 1 9 
			 2009 2 1 3 
			 2009-10 4 1 5 
			 2010-11 2 1 3 
			 2011-12 3 4 7 
			 2012-13 7 3 10 
			 April to October 2013 6 1 7

TRANSPORT

Air Traffic Control: Lasers

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many incidents of laser pen attacks on air traffic control towers were recorded in the last five years.

Robert Goodwill: The Civil Aviation Authority has received 28 reports of laser pen attacks on Air Traffic Control towers, through the Mandatory Occurrence Reporting (MOR) scheme between 1 January 2008 and mid September 2013.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect of High Speed 2 on passenger numbers on (a) the Barrow-in-Furness to Lancaster line, (b) the Oxenholme to Windermere line and (c) the Barrow-in-Furness to Carlisle line.

Robert Goodwill: The modelling framework used by HS2 Ltd is a strategic level model and takes into account the impact of HS2 on passenger numbers across the country. While long distance passenger demand on the Barrow-in-Furness to Lancaster line, the Oxenholme to Windermere line and the Barrow-in-Furness to Carlisle line is included as part of the recent assessment of HS2, it is not possible for me to provide detailed passenger forecasts for these lines individually.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect of High Speed 2 (a) phase 1 and (b) phase 2 on jobs, employment and growth in Barrow and Furness constituency.

Robert Goodwill: The Government has made no assessment of the effect of HS2 phase 1 and 2 on jobs, employment and growth in Barrow and Furness constituency. However, HS2 Ltd has recently published an initial study from KPMG analysing the regional economic impacts of HS2. This includes an estimate that the annual productivity benefits to the north-west region could be between £1.1 billion and £2.5 billion in 2037 (in 2013 prices), which would represent an increase in output (measured in terms of Gross Value Added) of between 0.6% and 1.4%.

Motor Vehicles: Registration

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport of 31 January 2013, Official Report, column 1153, on vehicle registration marks, what recent progress he has made on the drafting of a revised British standard for vehicle registration.

Robert Goodwill: The Department for Transport understands that a final draft of the revised British standard for number plates is close to public consultation which will be placed upon the website of the British Standards Institute (BSI). This has been indicated as being in early 2014. Following an eight-week consultation, the BSI will consider comments received and incorporate them into a final version of the standard. The Department will then prepare a statutory instrument to update the relevant regulation on number plates.

Pedestrian Crossings

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  whether Local Transport Note 2/95 continues to apply in Wales and Scotland;
	(2)  whether the Zebra, Pelican and Puffin Pedestrian Crossings Regulations and General Directions 1997 remain in force in Wales and Scotland.

Robert Goodwill: The Zebra, Pelican and Puffin Pedestrian Crossings Regulations and General Directions 1997 apply in England, Scotland and Wales, and remain in force.
	Local Transport Note 2/95 on the Design of Pedestrian Crossings is guidance, and compliance with it is not mandatory. In Scotland and Wales, as in England, the design and installation of pedestrian crossings is for local authorities, and although we recommend the advice in LTN 2/95 as good practice it is for local authorities to choose how best to implement crossings on their roads.

Railway Stations: Gilsland

Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to build a new railway station in Gilsland, on the border of Cumbria and Northumberland; and when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State with responsibility for railways plans to visit that project.

Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport has no plans to build a station at Gilsland. It would be for Cumbria and Northumberland county councils to work with the rail industry to determine whether a new station is the best way to meet local transport needs and to identify any funding required from locally allocated budgets. I have no plans to visit the area but would be delighted to do so should the county councils decide to proceed with the scheme.

Railways: Finance

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy that spending on jobs and maintenance should be ring fenced and excluded from the National Rail budgetary reductions announced by the Office of Rail Regulation.

Stephen Hammond: No. Network Rail's funding requirement is a matter for the independent economic and safety regulator, the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR). ORR assumes an efficient level of expenditure for each of Network Rail's regulated activities to deliver the outputs required by the Government and to maintain and improve the safety and reliability of the railway. It is then for Network Rail to decide how it manages its business within the overall framework specified by ORR and to determine the staff it needs to carry out its work effectively. ORR holds Network Rail to account and can take enforcement action if the company fails to deliver its regulated outputs.

Railways: North West

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what cost-benefit analysis his Department has made of (a) electrification and (b) line-speed improvements on the Lancaster to Barrow-in-Furness railway.

Stephen Hammond: The Department has made no such analysis. Following the Government's major investment in rail electrification as part of the Rail Investment Strategy (RIS) for 2014-19, Network Rail is working with train operators and other stakeholders to identify the best candidate schemes for future investment, as part of its Long Term Planning Process in advance of decisions on the following five year Network Rail Control Period. That review includes consideration of the Carnforth to Barrow-in-Furness line.
	The Government has provided a £300 million fund within the 2014-19 RIS for passenger journey improvements. It is for Network Rail and the train operators to undertake detailed analysis of which routes have the best case for investment.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Counter-terrorism

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the work of the Prevent task force; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 1 November 2013
	The Extremism Task Force (ETF), established in early June, has been an opportunity for Ministers to look together at how we should confront all forms of extremism and radicalisation in this country. It builds on the Prevent Strategy which we published in 2011.
	In implementing the Prevent Strategy, we have closed down more websites, excluded more hate preachers for reasons linked to Prevent, and intervened to help many more people vulnerable to radicalisation. But we can, and should do more, and the task force provides the vehicle.
	In our meetings, we have looked at: tackling radicalisation in institutions (mosques, madrassahs, schools, colleges, universities and prisons); supporting faith and community leadership to build strong, integrated and united communities; options for disrupting extremists; and how best to tackle online radicalisation.
	We will update on further progress in due course.

Entry Clearances

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many visa applications have been processed in (a) under three months, (b) under six months, (c) under a year, (d) under 18 months and (e) over 18 months in each of the last five years.

Mark Harper: holding answer 14 October 2013
	We currently split our customer service standards into two categories, 'settlement' and 'non-settlement'.
	The 'settlement' category includes applications:
	to enter the UK to join or accompany a spouse or civil partner
	from children to enter the UK to join or accompany a parent that is settled in the UK
	The 'non-settlement category includes applications to enter the UK:
	as a visitor (including as a tourist, to visit family, to"conduct business, as a short-term student)
	as a highly skilled migrant under PBS Tier 1
	a skilled worker under PBS Tier 2
	a student under PBS Tier 4
	a temporary worker under PBS Tier 5 (including Youth Mobility)
	in all other non-settlement categories (including EEA Family Permits, UK Ancestry, Returning Residents, Transit)
	The number of visa applications that have been processed in under three months, under six months, under a year and under 18 months and over 18 months in each of the last five years are detailed as follows:
	
		
			 Non-settlement applications 
			  Applications Within 3 months Within 6 months Within 12 months Within 18 months Percentage within 3 months Percentagewithin 6 months Percentage within 12 months Percentagewithin 18 months 
			 2008 2,305,878 2,295,677 2,302,170 2,305,875 2,305,878 99.56 99.84 99.99 100 
			 2009 2,366,077 2,343,926 2,362,210 2,365,575 2,366,047 99.06 99.84 99.98 99.98 
			 2010 2,461,558 2,425,917 2,450,156 2,460,364 2,460,991 98.55 99.54 99.95 99.98 
			 2011 2,542,204 2,526,240 2,538,685 2,541,684 2,541,917 99.37 99.86 99.98 99.99 
			 2012 2,494,788 2,490,957 2,493,718 2,494,434 2,494,544 99.85 99:96 99.99 99.99 
		
	
	
		
			 Settlement Applications 
			  Applications Within 3 months Within 6 months Within 12 months Within 18 months Percentage within 3 months percentage within 6 months Percentage within 12 months Percentage within 18 months 
			 2008 73,283 69,590 72,925 73,283 73,283 94.96 99.51 100 100 
			 2009 74,188 66,323 73,169 74,064 74,183 89.40 98.63 99.83 99.99 
			 2010 77,480 67,127 74,461 77,053 77,354 86.64 96.10 99.45 99.84 
			 2011 63,455 57,736 61,972 63,286 63,392 90.99 97.66 99.73 99.90 
			 2012 64,726 48,663 63,607 64,615 64,666 75.18 98.27 99.83 99.91 
		
	
	The stats above relate to main applicants and dependants and are for UK destination only. Within three months is calculated as 60 working days, six months as 120 working days, 12 months as 240 working days and 18 months as 360 working days.
	We have service standards for processing UK visa applications. Our current standards were introduced in April 2010. They are to process:
	90% of non-settlement applications within three weeks, 98% within six weeks and 100% within 12 weeks of the application date
	95% of settlement applications within 12 weeks of the application date and 100% within 24 weeks of the application date.

Entry Clearances

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what family visit visa applications to the UK there were in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010, (d) 2011 and (e) 2012 by (i) overall number of decisions made, (ii) number of family visit visa grants, (iii) number of family visit visa refusals, (iv) number of family visit visa applications withdrawn and (v) number of family visit visa applications which lapsed.

Mark Harper: The following table shows the statistics for family visit visa applications from 2008 to 2012. The numbers relate to main applicants and dependants. The figures are not cohort based.
	
		
			  2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Applications received 414,486 426,490 422,709 444,088 367,531 
			 Applications decided 407,935 425,823 428,042 445,700 374,782 
			 Applications issued 313,203 332,487 349,988 370,536 302,343 
			 Applications refused 92,561 91,083 76,697. 73,642 70,862 
		
	
	
		
			 Applications withdrawn 1,430 1,517 914 1,132 1,158 
			 Applications lapsed 741 736 443 390 419

Extradition

Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Government plans to retain unchanged existing provisions of the UK-US extradition agreement required by the EU-US extradition agreement if the UK ceases to be bound by that latter agreement, pursuant to Article 10 of the Protocol on Transitional Provisions annexed to the EU treaties; and what assessment she has made of whether the US will agree to such retention or planned or changes to those provisions proposed by the Government in circumstances where such agreement is required.

James Brokenshire: As the UK has opted out of the EU-US Agreement, it is important to note that on 1 December 2014, the UK will be able to agree the terms of our extradition arrangements bilaterally with the US. In the meantime, the Government will retain unchanged existing UK law and practice.

Health Services: Foreign Nationals

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has held with the Northern Ireland Executive on the levy issued on foreign students and temporary migrants to use the NHS.

Mark Harper: Ministers regularly discuss matters of mutual interest with Ministers in the devolved Administrations. A meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee was chaired by the Prime Minister on 16 October, attended by the First Minister and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, the First Minister of Wales, and the First Minister of Scotland. The three principal agenda items at the meeting re the economy and public finances, the UK Government's proposals on migrants' access to public services and major sporting events.
	The joint communiqué issued following the meeting may be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/news/joint-ministerial-committee-communique-october-2013
	These proposals have been the subject of a Home Office public consultation. The Consultation Document and Consultation Report may be found at:
	www.gov.uk/government/consultations/migrant-access-to-health-services-in-the-uk

Immigrants: Detainees

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals are currently held in prisons solely for immigration purposes.

Mark Harper: holding answer 8 October 2013
	For the week commencing 9 September 2013, there were 979 immigration detainees held in prisons.

Members: Surveillance

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Wilson Doctrine on the interception of the telephone calls and electronic messages of hon. Members still applies; and whether the security agencies restrict co-operation with their American counterparts to prevent them applying such electronic surveillance to hon. Members and Members of the House of Lords.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 1 November 2013
	I can confirm that the Wilson Doctrine continues to apply. I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my noble Friend, the right hon. Lord Wallace of Saltaire to the noble Lord Strasburger on 3 July 2013, Official Report, column WA238. I am obviously not able to comment on the activities of foreign governments. Regarding GCHQ's alleged interception of communications under the US PRISM programme, the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament has concluded that GCHQ has not circumvented UK law or attempted to do so.

Narendra Modi

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to reinstate the ban prohibiting Gujarat's Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, entering the UK.

Mark Harper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 15 October 2013, Official Report, column 649W.

National Crime Agency

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if she will take steps to ensure that the National Crime Agency makes tackling online child abuse images an operational priority;
	(2)  how decisions about the National Crime Agency's operational priorities will be made; and how such decisions will be communicated to the public;
	(3)  what the budgets for each of the National Crime Agency's operational priorities are; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: holding answer 31 October 2013
	The National Crime Agency (NCA) is accountable to the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State has a legal duty under the Crime and Courts Act 2013 (“the Act”) to determine the ‘strategic priorities’ for the National Crime Agency, in consultation with the Director General of the NCA and with the NCA's strategic partners (as set out in the Act). The Director General of the NCA determines the operational priorities for the agency. These are determined in consultation with the NCA's strategic partners. Both the strategic and operational priorities for the NCA are published in the NCA Annual Plan, which is available on the NCA website:
	http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/news-media/publications/33-nca-annual-plan-2013-14/file
	The NCA's budget is not managed by operational priority. The NCA manages a large work force of around 4,000 officers, and must allocate its budget flexibly to meet priorities as and when they arise.
	The first and highest strategic priority for the NCA set by the Secretary of State is the identification and disruption of serious and organised crime, including by investigating and enabling the prosecution of those responsible for child sexual exploitation. NCA officers have a legal duty under the Crime and Courts Act to safeguard children and protect their welfare, and all NCA officers will be trained in child protection.

National Crime Agency

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the resources (a) required by and (b) allocated to the National Crime Agency to combat online child abuse images.

Damian Green: holding answer 31 October 2013
	The National Crime Agency's (NCA's) total spending in 2013/14 is £463 million Resource and £31 million Capital. Of the £463 million, £422 million is provided directly from the Home Office and the rest comprises funding for specific work (for example on cyber crime and overseas capacity building). Within this, the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) budget has been protected in cash terms since 2011-12.
	It is for the NCA itself to decide how best to allocate its budget to ensure it is able to tackle the various forms of serious and organised crime for which it is responsible, including combating child sexual exploitation.
	Within the NCA, the main responsibility for tackling online child abuse images lies within the CEOP Command. By becoming part of the NCA, CEOP will have increased capacity to deal with complex cases, drawing on the intelligence and operational capabilities across the whole of the NCA. CEOP's frontline operational services will also have more resilience as a result. All NCA officers will be trained in child protection and will have a legal duty to safeguard children and protect their welfare across the whole of the agency's activity.

Overseas Students: China

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether it is her policy that students from China are charged £200 to access the NHS.

Mark Harper: holding answer 21 October 2013
	On 10 October, the Government published an Immigration Bill, which makes provision for temporary migrants to pay a Migrant Health Surcharge.
	On 22 October, the Government published its response to the consultation 'Controlling Immigration; Regulating Migrant Access to Health Services in the UK'. This set out who would have to pay the surcharge and the level of the surcharge for different groups. The Government expects to set the surcharge for students at around £150 per person, per year.

UK Visas and Immigration

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will arrange for the hon. Member for Walsall North to receive a reply to her letter to the Interim Director General, UK Visas and Immigration of 30 September 2013 on behalf of a constituent: CTS ref B26222/13.

Mark Harper: holding answer 4 November 2013
	The Director General, Sarah Rapson, replied to the hon. Member on 31 October 2013.

Verne Prison

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the conversion of HM Prison The Verne into an immigration removal centre will cost.

Mark Harper: holding answer 10 October 2013
	The conversion of HM Prison The Verne into an Immigration Removal Centre is forecast to cost around £7 million.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Civil Disorder

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many attacks there were on (a) community halls, (b) Orange halls and (c) churches in Northern Ireland in each year since 2010.

Theresa Villiers: The Northern Ireland Office does not routinely record attacks of this nature. However figures available from PSNI on attacks on symbolic premises for the years in question (up to 30 June 2013) are provided in the following table:
	
		
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 to date 
			 Type of symbolic premises 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013 April 2013 to 30 June 2013 
			 Church or Chapel 23 12 14 (1)— 
			 GAA or Ancient Order of Hibernians Hall 8 8 (1)— (1)— 
			 Orange or Apprentice Boys Hall 58 32 27 5 
			 School (1)— 4 (1)— (1)— 
			 (1) In order to protect confidentiality exact figures are not given where the numbers are sufficiently low that individuals/organisations could be easily identified. Source: PSNI Statistics Branch 
		
	
	Further information relating to attacks on symbolic buildings can be found on the PSNI website at:
	http://www.psni.police.uk/hate_motivated_incidents_ and_crimes_in_northern_ireland_2004-05_to_2012-13.pdf

Northern Ireland Act 1998

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment she has made of the operation of section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.

Theresa Villiers: The operation of section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 is primarily a matter for the Equality Commission, and for the Northern Ireland Executive, which sponsors it.

Terrorism

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment she has of the threat posed by paramilitary organisations in Northern Ireland.

Theresa Villiers: The threat level in Northern Ireland remains at Severe. There are still a small number of terrorist groupings who continue to seek to carry out violent attacks in Northern Ireland. Excellent co-operation between PSNI and its partners, including An Garda Síochána, has put these individuals under strain, resulting in significant arrests and charges.

Tourism

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions she has had the Northern Ireland Executive on increasing out of state visitors to Belfast.

Theresa Villiers: I meet regularly with the Northern Ireland Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment who also has responsibility for promoting tourism.
	Estimates for the first quarter of 2013 (January to March) indicate that the total number of overnight trips to Northern Ireland increased by 17%, while expenditure during these overnight trips grew by 14% compared to the same period in the previous year. Many of these visitors would have spent at least part of their visit in Belfast.
	Despite the negative imagery of the city presented by those who instigated disgraceful violence during the summer months, I am certain that successful events such as the G8 Summit and the World Police and Fire Games will enhance Belfast's reputation as an attractive destination for tourists.

JUSTICE

Judges

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what proportion of district judges at a County court level were (a) male, (b) female, (c) black, Asian and minority ethnic, (d) educated at the University of Oxford or University of Cambridge, (e) educated at other Russell Group universities, (f) educated at all other universities, (g) solicitors, (h) barristers and (i) Queen's Counsel in each year since 2003;
	(2)  what proportion of recorders were (a) male, (b) female, (c) black, Asian and minority ethnic, (d) educated at the University of Oxford or University of Cambridge, (e) educated at other Russell Group universities, (f) educated at all other universities, (g) solicitors, (h) barristers and (i) Queen's Counsel in each year since 2003;
	(3)  what proportion of circuit judges were (a) male, (b) female, (c) black, Asian and minority ethnic, (d) educated at the University of Oxford or University of Cambridge, (e) educated at other Russell Group universities, (f) educated at all other universities, (g) solicitors, (h) barristers and (i) Queen's Counsel in each year since 2003;
	(4)  what proportion of deputy masters, deputy registrars, deputy cost judges and deputy district judges were (a) male, (b) female, (c) black, Asian and minority ethnic, (d) educated at the University of Oxford or University of Cambridge, (e) educated at other Russell Group universities, (f) educated at all other universities, (g) solicitors, (h) barristers and (i) Queen's counsel in each year since 2003;
	(5)  what proportion of masters, registrars, costs judges and district judges working in the Principal Registry of the Family Division were (a) male, (b) female, (c) black, Asian and minority ethnic, (d) educated at the University of Oxford or University of Cambridge, (e) educated at other Russell Group universities, (f) educated at all other universities, (g) solicitors, (h) barristers and (i) Queen's counsel in each year since 2003.

Shailesh Vara: A more diverse judiciary is important in retaining the public's confidence and trust in justice, and better reflecting the society it serves. This Government has made a number of changes through the Crime and Courts Act 2013 that we believe will promote judicial diversity. We have introduced part time working in the senior courts, including the Supreme Court, we have enabled the equal merit provision for judicial appointments to allow protected characteristics to be taken into account where two applicants are of equal merit, and a statutory duty for the Lord Chancellor and Lord Chief Justice to encourage judicial diversity.
	The data on the gender, ethnicity and professional background of the Judiciary are held and published by the Judicial Office.
	Information on previous professional background was not published before 2007.
	Separate information on judges working in the Principal Registry of the Family Division has only been published since 2008.
	Information on the education or Queen's Council status of the Judiciary is not published by the Judicial Office.
	This data is available at:
	2013 data
	http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/Resources/JCO/Documents/Stats/courts-diversity-stats-2012-13.xls
	2012 data
	http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/Resources/JCO/Documents/Stats/courts-diversity-stats-sept2012.xls
	2011 data
	http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/Resources/JCO/Documents/Stats/judicial-diversity-stats-gender-ethnicity-profession-2011.xls
	2010 data
	http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/publications-and-reports/statistics/diversity-stats-and-gen-overview/annual-ethnicity-statistics/stats-annual-diversity-statistics-2010
	http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/publications-and-reports/statistics/diversity-stats-and-gen-overview/gender-statistics/gender-statistics-judges-in-post-2010
	2009
	http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/publications-and-reports/statistics/diversity-stats-and-gen-overview/annual-ethnicity-statistics/annual-ethnicity-statistics-2009
	http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/publications-and-reports/statistics/diversity-stats-and-gen-overview/gender-statistics/gender-statistics-judges-in-post-2009
	2008
	http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/publications-and-reports/statistics/diversity-stats-and-gen-overview/annual-ethnicity-statistics/annual-ethnicity-statistics-2008
	http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/publications-and-reports/statistics/diversity-stats-and-gen-overview/gender-statistics/gender-statistics-judges-in-post-2008
	2007
	http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/publications-and-reports/statistics/diversity-stats-and-gen-overview/annual-ethnicity-statistics/annual-ethnicity-statistics-2007
	http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/publications-and-reports/statistics/diversity-stats-and-gen-overview/gender-statistics/gender-statistics-judges-in-post-2007
	2006
	http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/publications-and-reports/statistics/diversity-stats-and-gen-overview/annual-ethnicity-statistics/annual-ethnicity-statistics-2006
	2005
	http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/publications-and-reports/statistics/diversity-stats-and-gen-overview/annual-ethnicity-statistics/annual-ethnicity-statisiics-2005
	2004
	http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/publications-and-reports/statistics/diversity-stats-and-gen-overview/annual-ethnicity-statistics/annual-ethnicity-statistics-2004
	2003
	http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/publications-and-reports/statistics/diversity-stats-and-gen-overview/annual-ethnicity-statistics/annual-ethnicity-statistics-2003

Prison Service

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff from each prison establishment in England and Wales were working on detached duty at another prison establishment on the most recent day for which records are available; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: Information on how many staff in each public sector custodial establishment in England and Wales were working on detached duty at other such establishments on 30 June 2013 is contained in the following table:
	
		
			 Headcount of staff from each public sector custodial establishment in England and Wales working on detached duty at another public sector custodial establishment in England and Wales, as at 30 June 2013 
			 Establishment Headcount of staff 
			 Aylesbury 4 
			 Bedford 3 
			 Blantyre House 3 
			 Brinsford 5 
			 Bristol 2 
			 Brixton 3 
			 Buckley Hall 2 
			 Bullingdon 4 
			 Bure 3 
			 Canterbury 1 
			 Cardiff 1 
			 Channings Wood 3 
			 Chelmsford 1 
			 Coldingley 3 
		
	
	
		
			 Deerbolt 6 
			 Dorchester 6 
			 Downview 4 
			 Drake Hall 6 
			 Durham 3 
			 Eastwood Park 2 
			 Edmunds Hill 2 
			 Elmley 4 
			 Erlestoke 2 
			 Everthorpe 4 
			 Exeter 2 
			 Featherstone 3 
			 Feltham 6 
			 Ford 1 
			 Foston Hall 3 
			 Frankland 5 
			 Full Sutton 1 
			 Garth 2 
			 Gartree 3 
			 Glen Parva 2 
			 Gloucester 3 
			 Grendon 3 
			 Guys Marsh 2 
			 Haslar 1 
			 Haverigg 1 
			 Hewell 4 
			 High Down 5 
			 Highpoint 1 
			 Hindley 8 
			 Hollesley Bay 1 
			 Holloway 2 
			 Holme House 4 
			 Huntercombe 2 
			 Isis 14 
			 Isle of Wight 3 
			 Kennet 4 
			 Kingston 2 
			 Kirklevington Grange 2 
			 Lancaster Farms 1 
			 Leeds 3 
			 Leicester 2 
			 Lewes 3 
			 Lincoln 4 
			 Lindholme 4 
			 Littlehey 3 
			 Liverpool 4 
			 Long Lartin 2 
			 Low Newton 4 
			 Maidstone 2 
			 Manchester 7 
			 Moorland 1 
			 Morton Hall 6 
			 New Hall 2 
			 North Sea Camp 1 
			 Northallerton 2 
			 Northumberland 3 
			 Norwich 2 
			 Nottingham 9 
			 Onley 4 
			 Pentonville 3 
			 Preston 5 
			 Ranby 7 
			 Reading 1 
		
	
	
		
			 Risley 5 
			 Rochester 2 
			 Send 1 
			 Sheppey Clustered Services 3 
			 Stafford 3 
			 Stocken 9 
			 Stoke Heath 7 
			 Styal 6 
			 Sudbury 4 
			 Swaleside 4 
			 Swansea 1 
			 Swinfen Hall 3 
			 The Mount 1 
			 The Verne 2 
			 Thorn Cross 1 
			 Usk/Prescoed 1 
			 Wakefield 6 
			 Wandsworth 8 
			 Warren Hill 1 
			 Wayland 2 
			 Wealstun 5 
			 Werrington 4 
			 Wetherby 10 
			 Whatton 3 
			 Whitemoor 3 
			 Winchester 1 
			 Woodhill 7 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 7 
			 Wymott 7 
			   
			 Total 369

Prisoners: Hearing Impairment

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent estimate he has made of the number of deaf prisoners in England and Wales.

Jeremy Wright: Statistically robust information is not held centrally on prisoner's declared disabilities. In November 2010, the Ministry of Justice published the results of a survey of prisoners sentenced to between one month and four years in 2005 and 2006 (Surveying Prisoner Crime Reduction - SPCR). The survey found that 5% reported some difficulty in hearing. (Ministry of Justice 2010, ‘Compendium of reoffending statistics and analysis’, November 2010).

Property Tribunal Panel

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will publish the report shown to Benjamin Mire before his resignation from the Property Tribunal Panel; and if he will make a statement.

Shailesh Vara: Mr Mire's resignation follows an investigation into his conduct under the Judicial Discipline (Prescribed Procedures) Regulations 2006 (as amended). All information gathered in the course of a judicial conduct investigation is confidential and may be disclosed only in certain circumstances as set out in section 139 of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005. Any report prepared in accordance with the regulations is governed by this section of the Act and cannot therefore be published.

Rape: Sentencing

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of the Minister for Crime Prevention of 31 October 2013, Official Report, on sexual violence prosecutions, what proportion of convicted rapists sentenced to terms of imprisonment served their sentence in prison in full in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jeremy Wright: All custodial sentences are served as set out in the relevant legislation. Parliament has consistently determined that custodial sentences should be served part in prison and part in the community and all custodial sentences are served to the full extent required under the legislation.
	People who commit serious crimes are now more likely to be convicted and sent to prison for longer than they were a decade ago. This Government has also introduced a tough new regime for dangerous sexual and violent offenders, including rapists. This regime will see more serious offenders given life sentences, and others receiving a new extended determinate sentence under which offenders will serve at least two-thirds of their custodial term and some serving the full custodial term—and being supervised for long periods after their release.
	Additionally, we have recently announced proposals under which criminals convicted of rape of a child, or serious terrorism offences, will no longer be automatically released at the half-way point of a standard determinate prison sentence. Under these proposals, these offenders will only be released before the end of their custodial term under strict conditions at the discretion of the independent Parole Board. Before the Parole Board releases any criminal they must be convinced they no longer pose a threat to society.

Translation Services

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on interpreters and translation services in each month in (a) 2009, (b) 2010, (c) 2011 and (d) 2012.

Shailesh Vara: Information on spending on interpreters and translation was not collected centrally until the start of a contract with Capita Translation and Interpreting (Capita TI) on 30 January 2012. Before that time the Ministry of Justice's estimated spending on interpreters and translation was in the region of £30 million per year (including Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunal Service and Her Majesty's Prison Service). Monthly breakdowns are not available prior to February 2012.
	Spending with Capita TI for each month of 2012 is included in the following table. The amount spent with Capita TI increased during 2012 as more bookings were assigned to them.
	Over the first year of the contract with Capita Translation and Interpretation (starting January 2012) the Department has saved over £16 million pounds in the provision of interpretation and translation services.
	
		
			 Month in 2012 Spend (£) 
			 February 110,419.53 
			 March 439,935.19 
		
	
	
		
			 April 642,027.36 
			 May 693,325.92 
			 June 798,555.15 
			 July 1,116,034.18 
			 August 1,003,596.92 
			 September 944,674.26 
			 October and November 1,851,512.76 
			 December 913,748.54 
			 Total 8,513,829.77

Young Offenders: Rehabilitation

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to improve resettlement outcomes for young people leaving custody;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to assist young offenders into employment on release from custody.

Jeremy Wright: We believe that successful resettlement is key to ensuring long-term sustainable outcomes for young people leaving custody. We are currently considering a number of options to improve resettlement outcomes for young people leaving custody, including ensuring that resources already in place within youth offending teams, local authorities and wider partners are being used effectively.
	Earlier this year we consulted on our vision to place education at the heart of youth custody. This will help equip young offenders with the necessary skills, qualifications and self-discipline that they need to access education, training and employment opportunities upon release. We know that this is an important element in effective resettlement
	We will shortly be announcing our response to the Transforming Youth Custody consultation.

CABINET OFFICE

Cot Deaths

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the annual cost is of publishing annual figures on how many babies die of sudden infant death syndrome each year.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Peter Fullerton, dated November 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking the Secretary of State for Health what the annual cost of publishing annual figures on how many babies die of sudden infant death syndrome each year is.
	The cost to ONS in 2013 for producing the statistical bulletin 'Unexplained deaths in infancy in England and Wales, 2011' was estimated to be £11,200.
	Figures for unexplained deaths in infancy, in England and Wales are published annually on the ONS website:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/child-health/unexplained-deaths-in-infancy--england-and-wales/index.html

National Security

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what preparatory work is being undertaken in anticipation of the next National Security Strategy; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the budget for the National Security Strategy is for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16.

Francis Maude: Departments across Whitehall are doing early preparatory work for the 2015 National Security Strategy. The Government wants to undertake, in advance, as much analysis as practicable. This includes defining how the future strategic context has changed since 2010. The review will begin in earnest next year and be conducted formally after the general election in 2015. In the meantime, the Government's priority remains implementing the decisions made in 2010.
	Resources for the national security strategy are drawn from existing departmental budgets.

Public Sector Debt

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what national debt as a percentage of gross domestic product has been in each year between 1993 and 2013.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated November 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office what national debt as a percentage of gross domestic product has been between the time period 1993 and 2013. (173704)
	Data on national debt as a percentage of gross domestic product is available up until 2012. Figures are shown in the table for each calendar year as requested. I have provided data which both includes and excludes the temporary effects of financial interventions as a result of the financial crisis.
	
		
			 PSF1 Public Sector Summary Balances 
			  Net Debt as a percentage of GDP (excluding financial interventions) Net Debt as a percentage of GDP (including financial interventions) 
			  HF6X RUTO 
			 1993 34.8 34.8 
			 1994 39 39 
			 1995 41.5 41.5 
			 1996 42.5 42.5 
			 1997 42.2 42.2 
			 1998 39.5 39.5 
			 1999 37.3 37.3 
			 2000 32.4 32.4 
			 2001 31.2 31.2 
			 2002 32.1 32.1 
			 2003 33.3 33.3 
			 2004 35 35 
			 2005 36.2 36.2 
			 2006 36.7 36.7 
			 2007 37.3 44.1 
			 2008 42.9 149.8 
			 2009 51 154.6 
			 2010 65 148.7 
			 2011 70.4 143.2 
		
	
	
		
			 2012 74.6 138.1 
			 Source: ONS, Public Sector Finances

Unemployment: Chelmsford

Simon Burns: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people aged 18 to 24 years were unemployed in (a) Chelmsford constituency and (b) Chelmsford local authority area in each of the last 12 months.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people aged 18 to 24 years were unemployed in (a) Chelmsford constituency and (b) Chelmsford local authority area in each of the last 12 months. (173836)
	The Office for National Statistics compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. However, estimates of unemployment for the requested age band in Chelmsford Parliamentary Constituency and Local Authority are not available due to small sample sizes.
	As an alternative, we have provided the number of people aged 18 to 24 years claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) in Chelmsford Constituency and Local Authority, for each of the last twelve months.
	The counts of people claiming JSA are those who are claiming benefits for unemployment related purposes. At a UK level the total number of JSA claimants is around two thirds of the total unemployment level.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Table 1: Number(1, 2 )of people aged 18 to 24 years claiming jobseeker's allowance in Chelmsford constituency and local authority in each of the last 12 months 
			 Number 
			  Chelmsford constituency Chelmsford local authority 
			 2012   
			 October 580 785 
			 November 565 760 
			 December 535 705 
			    
			 2013   
			 January 590 775 
			 February 600 805 
			 March 575 765 
			 April 540 730 
			 May 525 705 
			 June 485 650 
			 July 530 695 
			 August 525 690 
			 September 520 680 
			 (1) Data rounded to nearest 5. (2) Computerised claims only. Information on age of claimant is available only for computerised claims which currently make up 99.8% of all claims. Source: Jobcentre Plus Administrative System.

Unemployment: Northamptonshire

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the level of unemployment was in (a) Kettering constituency and (b) Northamptonshire in (i) October 2013 and (ii) May 2010.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated November 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what the level of unemployment was in (a) Kettering constituency and (b) Northamptonshire in (1) October 2013 and (2) May 2010 [173868].
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. However, estimates of unemployment for Kettering parliamentary constituency are not available due to small sample sizes.
	As an alternative, we have provided the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) in Kettering parliamentary constituency and Northamptonshire, for May 2010 and September 2013, the latest period available.
	The counts of people claiming JSA are those who are claiming benefits for unemployment related purposes. At a UK level the total number of JSA claimants is around two thirds of the total unemployment level.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance in Kettering constituency and Northamptonshire 
			  Kettering Northamptonshire 
			 May 2010 2,042 15,616 
			 September 2013 1,886 12,927 
			 Source: Jobcentreplus Administrative System

Voluntary Work: Young People

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to increase participation in the National Citizenship Service;
	(2)  how many young people in (a) Stafford constituency and (b) England took part in the National Citizen Service in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013;
	(3)  how many young people in (a) Stafford constituency and (b) England took part in the International Citizen Service in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013.

Nick Hurd: The NCS programme has expanded rapidly, with 8,500 young people participating during the first pilot year in 2011 and just over 26,000 in 2012. Numbers of participants for 2013 will be published in due course.
	The aim of this Government is that NCS should be a rite of passage for all 16 and 17-year-olds.
	Considerable care is taken to ensure that young people from disadvantaged backgrounds have access to the programme through outreach and bursaries. Full payment for providers is only achievable if they recruit a representative cohort of young people in each local authority area by ethnicity, socioeconomic background and those who have been in or who have recently left care, have offended or have special educational needs.
	Regarding participation in the Staffordshire local authority region, in 2012 (the first year that this information is available) 142 young people took part. Further details for 2013 will be available in due course.
	The International Citizen Service Pilot programme ran from March 2011 to November 2012. This programme enabled 1,216 UK citizens to depart from the UK on placements.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animal Welfare: Circuses

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will ensure that the draft Wild Animals in Circuses Bill is altered to also end the transportation of wild animals with travelling circuses.

George Eustice: No. As the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee concluded in their recent pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Wild Animals in Circuses Bill, extending the scope of the Bill, to include areas such as transportation, would introduce greater restrictions on ownership than are intended. The Bill is focused on the use of the animals not their ownership. The Government agrees that, in the absence of any welfare issues, which can already be dealt with by existing welfare legislation, further restrictions on wild animals in circuses could amount to a de facto restriction on ownership.

Coastal Areas

Mike Thornton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the England Coast Path will be extended to areas in Hampshire.

Dan Rogerson: The Government is continuing the programme to extend the coastal path network around the English coast. We have not set a timetable for extending the English coastal path into Hampshire. We will be implementing coastal access step-by-step by tailoring the amount of activity to the resources available.

Dangerous Dogs

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many dogs in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales were placed on the register of exempt dogs in 2012 under section 4A and section 4B procedures of the Dangerous Dogs (Amendment) Act 1997.

George Eustice: The total number of dogs placed on the register of exempted dogs in 2012 is as follows:
	
		
			  Number of dogs 
			 (a) England 451 
			 (b) Wales 24 
			 (c) Scotland 2 
			 Total 477 
		
	
	The information is not held in a format to enable a split between sections 4A and 4B as not all Court Orders indicate the sections requested.

European Commission

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many visits the Permanent Secretary and the four next most senior civil servants in his Department made to the European Commission in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Rogerson: The number of visits made to the European Commission by the Permanent Secretary and four most senior civil servants, between 1 April 2010 and 31 March 2013, is provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Name 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Helen Ghosh, Permanent Secretary until 31 December 2010 0 n/a n/a 
			 Bronwyn Hill, Permanent Secretary 0 1 0 
			 Ian Boyd, Chief Scientific Adviser n/a n/a 1 
			 Peter Unwin, DG Policy Delivery 1 0 0 
			 Ian Trenholm, DG Chief Operating Officer n/a n/a 0 
			 Katrina Williams, DG Strategy, Evidence and Customers 1 0 0

Fisheries: Morocco

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the new protocol to the EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement applies outside the Exclusive Economic Zone claimed by Morocco.

George Eustice: holding answer 1 November 2013
	The new Protocol to the EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement would apply to certain fishing activity by EU vessels inside the Moroccan fishing zone, which is waters falling within the sovereignty or jurisdiction of the Kingdom of Morocco. The Annex to the Protocol requires Morocco to inform the EU of the geographical coordinates of its fishing zone, prior to the date of application of the Protocol.

Food Banks: Disability

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if his Department will take steps to ensure that people in food poverty with mobility limitations are made more aware of food banks and have access to food banks.

George Eustice: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given by the Minister of State for Employment, my hon. Friend the Member for Wirral West (Esther McVey), on 14 October 2013, Official Report, columns 489-90W, on food banks, which explained when Jobcentre Plus staff will signpost people to food banks.

Forests

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect on woodland creation of the hiatus created by current discussions on the reform of CAP.

George Eustice: EU regulations which govern the transition from the current Rural Development programme (RDP) to the next do not allow member states to make any commitments in 2014 to fund planting of woodland for the first time on either agricultural or non-agricultural land. The new CAP regulations will allow this from 2015. We are currently consulting on the use of CAP funds up to 2020.
	The Forestry Commission is currently considering applications to fund planting of up to 2,900 hectares of woodland in 2014. The current RDP has seen 12,442 hectares of woodland planted and funded through the English Woodland Grant scheme. Current applications would therefore represent an annual planting rate above that in the current programme.

Pigmeat: Northern Ireland

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development in the Northern Ireland Executive regarding the export of pork from Northern Ireland to China, Russia and Australia; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with the pork industry in Northern Ireland regarding exports of pork to China, Russia and Australia; and if he will make a statement.

George Eustice: Ministers have not had discussions with either the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development in the Northern Ireland Executive or the pork industry in Northern Ireland regarding the export of pork from Northern Ireland to China, Russia and Australia. However representatives of the Northern Ireland industry are members of the UK Export Certification Partnership, a joint government and industry forum that discusses, prioritises and progresses market access negotiations to non EU markets. DEFRA officials work closely with colleagues in the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. DEFRA negotiates market access on behalf of the United Kingdom by providing assurances that animal health and food safety controls are applied consistently across the country.
	We are currently progressing negotiations to increase the number of establishments approved for the export of pork to these destinations, including establishments in Northern Ireland. The Government's strategy for increasing food and drink exports to non EU markets is outlined in the Export Action Plan. Throughout the year ministers take the opportunity to discuss trade issues with all UK exporters, including those from Northern Ireland, at national and international trade events.

UK Membership of EU

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make an assessment of the costs and benefits of a decision for the UK to leave the EU in his Department's area of responsibility; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Rogerson: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the Minister for Europe, my right hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (Mr Lidington), on 29 January 2013, Official Report, column 709W, to the hon. Member for Wolverhampton North East (Emma Reynolds). DEFRA has not made any plans for the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

TREASURY

Dark Pool Trading

Natascha Engel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has for the regulation of dark pool trading.

Sajid Javid: Dark pools are systems which allow the trading of securities without publicly disclosing orders, and are subject to regulation under the markets in financial instruments directive. The Government anticipates that the revised legislation will bring forward measures to place limits on dark trading. However, the specific measures that will be taken are the subject of ongoing negotiations between the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union.

Youth Unemployment

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the effect of fiscal policy on the rate of unemployment among young people.

Nicky Morgan: I refer the right hon. Member to the Chief Secretary's earlier response today to the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South (Bridget Phillipson).

Child Poverty

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the effect of fiscal policy on the level of child poverty.

Nicky Morgan: The Government has protected vulnerable groups as far as possible while urgently taking action to tackle the record deficit it inherited.
	Work remains the best and most immediate way out of poverty and the Budget took action to support families and make the tax and welfare system fairer, including further increasing the income tax personal allowance to take 2.7 million people on low incomes out of tax altogether.

Child Care

George Hollingbery: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to help families with the cost of childcare.

Nicky Morgan: The Government is introducing Tax-Free Childcare in autumn 2015 to provide support for working families with 20% of child care costs up to £6,000 for each child under 12.
	This will build on current investment of around £5 billion a year in child care support through:
	extending the free entitlement to provide 15 hours a week of free early education and child care for all three and four-year-olds, and to 40% of two-year-olds from lower income families;
	providing 70% of child care costs through the working tax credit; and
	extending this support under universal credit to those working fewer than 16 hours a week.

Financial Services

James Wharton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent steps he has taken to regulate financial services.

Sajid Javid: The Government has created a new architecture for financial regulation. The Financial Policy Committee in the Bank of England has macro-prudential responsibility for protecting and enhancing financial stability, while the Prudential Regulation Authority will ensure individual firms are effectively regulated. The Financial Conduct Authority will protect consumers, promote competition, and enhance integrity in markets.
	The Government is also implementing the recommendations of the Independent Commission on Banking and the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards.

Bank Services: Fees and Charges

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions his Department has had with the Financial Conduct Authority on the level of default or penalty fees charged when a customer goes into an unauthorised overdraft; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: holding answer 4 November 2013
	Treasury Ministers and officials meet with a wide range of organisations as part of the usual policy making process. As with the previous Administration, this Government does not provide details of these meetings.

Bank Services: Fees and Charges

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make an estimate of the amount UK bank customers spend on bank fees and charges in a year.

Sajid Javid: holding answer 4 November 2013
	The Government is clear that consumers must be able to easily access clear and transparent information about bank charges; have a reasonable opportunity to manage their account and control whether or not they incur charges,
	The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) found in January 2013 there has been a significant reduction in bank fees and charges since their 2008 market study. As a result, consumers have saved hundreds of millions of pounds.
	Further information on the OFT's review can be found at:
	www.oft.gov.uk/OFTwork/markets-work/othermarketswork/pca-review/

Banks: Finance

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the effect on the national debt was of money given to failing banking institutions in each year from 2008.

Nicky Morgan: Figures measuring the impact of the financial crisis (activities undertaken to support financial institutions) on the Government balance sheet can be found in Table M9 of the Maastricht Treaty statistical bulletin on the Office for National Statistics (ONS) website at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/psa/eu-government-debt-and-deficit-returns/september-2013/stb---september-2013.html

City of London

Tom Watson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on which dates he met the City of London Remembrancer since May 2010.

Sajid Javid: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
	Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm

Commodity Markets

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to support the European Commission's proposal of 30 September 2013 to regulate commodity derivatives as part of the review of the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive to limit speculation in the commodity markets; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: The Government has given careful consideration to the effective methods of regulation and supervision of commodity derivatives. The Government supports a regime based on strong supervision, market monitoring and a comprehensive suite of tools deployed by market operators to ensure the orderly functioning of those markets.

Income Tax

Mike Thornton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many workers on low pay have stopped paying income tax since 2010.

Danny Alexander: By 2013-14, 2.4 million low income individuals have been taken out of income tax altogether as a result of this Government's increases to the personal allowance since 2010. This number will increase to 2.7 million once the personal allowance reaches £10,000 in April 2014.

Minimum Wage

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) prosecutions and (b) cautions for not paying the minimum wage there were in each year from its introduction to 2008-09.

David Gauke: The Government takes the enforcement of NMW very seriously and HMRC review every complaint that is referred to them, investigating the complaint and, in addition, carrying out targeted enforcement where we identify a high risk of non-payment of NMW.
	HMRC has never issued cautions for not paying the minimum wage because, where arrears due to non-payment of the minimum wage are identified, a formal notice of underpayment is sent to the employer.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 8 October 2013, Official Report, column 152W, to the right hon. Member for Tottenham (Mr Lammy).

National Insurance Contributions

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people and employers will be ineligible for the national insurance employment allowance for each of the exceptions classes set out in Clause 2 of the National Insurance Contributions Bill 2013.

David Gauke: It is estimated that around 50,000 employers will be ineligible for the national insurance contributions employment allowance.
	Current figures estimate 1.3 million employers are liable to pay national insurance contributions. The national insurance employer allowance will benefit 1.25 million employers.
	Further Information about the scheme is published and available on:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-insurance-contributions-bill

Public Expenditure

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what public spending as a percentage of gross domestic product has been in each year between 1993 and 2013.

Nicky Morgan: The following table sets out total managed expenditure as a percentage of gross domestic product over the period from 1992-93 to 2012-13.
	
		
			  Total managed expenditure as percentage of GDP(1,2) 
			 1992-93 43.3 
			 1993-94 42.6 
			 1994-95 42.1 
			 1995-96 41.4 
			 1996-97 39.3 
			 1997-98 37.8 
			 1998-99 36.8 
			 1999-2000 36.2 
			 2000-01 34.3 
			 2001-02 37.7 
			 2002-03 38.6 
			 2003-04 39.4 
			 2004-05 40.3 
			 2005-06 40.7 
			 2006-07 40.4 
			 2007-08 40.6 
			 2008-09 44.0 
			 2009-10 47.0 
			 2010-11 46.2 
			 2011-12 44.9 
		
	
	
		
			 2012-13 42.9 
			 (1)Sources: HM Treasury, Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA) 2013. Office for National Statistics, Gross domestic product at market prices not seasonally adjusted (series BKTL). (2) TME excludes the temporary effects of banks being classified to the public sector. See Box 5.A in PESA 2013 for details. 
		
	
	The most recent forecast from the Office for Budget Responsibility, published alongside Budget 2013, shows total managed expenditure will return to 40.5% of GDP by 2017-18.

Smuggling: Tobacco

Kevin Barron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to sign the World Health Organisation Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products.

Nicky Morgan: The Government welcomes the World Health Organisation Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products and is working with the European Commission and member states to agree the signing procedure. The UK expects to sign the Protocol before the end of the year.

Tax Allowances: Married People

Simon Burns: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of married couples in Chelmsford will benefit from the married couples tax allowance announced on 30 September 2013.

David Gauke: Reliable estimates are not available at this geographical level due to insufficient sample size.

VAT

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make an assessment of the effect on the cost of living of the rate of VAT.

David Gauke: The only way to deliver a sustained improvement in living standards is to tackle the economy's problems head on and deliver a recovery that works for all.
	Decisive action on the deficit—to which VAT is making a significant contribution—has been an essential part of making a soundly-based recovery.

Welfare Tax Credits

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax credit awards were made in relation to children who were aged (a) 17, (b) 18 and (c) 19 in the last year.

Nicky Morgan: holding answer 4 November 2013
	The following table is based on a snapshot of tax credits awards as at April 2013 and represents the number of families with a 17/18/19-year-old as of April 2013. It is liable to change once awards are finalised.
	
		
			 Child age Number of families in receipt of child tax credits 
			 17 281,000 
			 18 213,000 
			 19 105,000 
		
	
	Tax credits are awarded at a family level, and that is how the information is provided.
	Families have been included in a group if they have at least one eligible child of the relevant age. They will be counted in more than one group if they have multiple children of the ages 17, 18 or 19.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Broadband: Essex

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made in rolling out broadband to (a) towns and (b) villages in Essex.

Edward Vaizey: According to Ofcom's recent infrastructure report 73% of premises in the UK now have access to superfast broadband and approximately 97% have the ability to access standard broadband with speeds of 2 Mbps or above. The Government has committed to achieve 95% superfast coverage by 2017 and to ensure universal availability of standard broadband. Essex county council entered into a contract in August 2013 for delivery of a project to extend superfast broadband in rural areas and to provide universal standard broadband, and survey and design work is under way. Essex has received £6.46 million from DCMS, which has been matched by Essex county council.
	Ofcom also reported that Essex county had 74% superfast broadband coverage by October 2013.

HMS Victory

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the Ministry of Defence about salvage operations on the wreck of HMS Victory; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: Ministers and officials from the Ministry of Defence and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have had regular discussions about the future protection and management of HMS Victory, which sank in 1744. Proposals from the Maritime Heritage Foundation are currently under consideration and no final decisions have been taken.

Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the resources available to her Department to exercise the default powers of the Secretary of State provided for in the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 12 September 2013
	The Department has officials with appropriate skills and knowledge to advise the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Maria Miller), on the use of her statutory powers under the Public Library and Museum Act 1964 and together with the Department's regular consultation with a range of stakeholders with relevant expertise is able to ensure suitable support is provided.

Sports: Chelmsford

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the proportion of people aged (a) under 16, (b) 16 to 24, (c) 25 to 39, (d) 40 to 60 and (e) over 60 years old who regularly take part in recreational sport in Chelmsford constituency; and what change there has been in those figures in the last three years.

Edward Vaizey: Sport England's Active People Survey measures the number of people aged 16 and above taking part in sport across England at least once a week, every week. For the Chelmsford local authority, the survey shows that:
	44.3% of people aged 16 and above play sport regularly. This is a decrease of 0.4% since 2010.
	70.2% of people aged 16-34 play sport regularly. This is an increase of 7.7% since 2010.
	42.2% of people aged 35-54 play sport regularly. This is a decrease of 3.8% since 2010.
	25.3% of the population aged 55+ play sport regularly. This is a decrease of 2.6% since 2010.
	We do not hold statistics on the proportion of under 16-year-olds playing sport regularly in Chelmsford.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she intends to reply to the Question from the hon. Member for Barnsley Central tabled on 9 September 2013 on the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964.

Edward Vaizey: This question will be answered today.

DEFENCE

Army

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) manning and (b) sustainability figures were for each battalion of the (i) Royal Regiment of Scotland (and its antecedent units),(ii) Brigade of Guards, (iii) Parachute Regiment, (iv) Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment and (v) Royal Regiment of Fusiliers in each of the last 15 years.

Mark Francois: I refer my hon. Friend to the information placed in the Library of the House on 17 October 2012 which provides manning and sustainability figures for the whole of the Infantry for the period from January 1995 to October 2011.
	The manning figures for 2012 and 2013 are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Strength 
			 Unit July 2012 July 2013 
			 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards 550 450 
			 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards 490 480 
			 1st Battalion Scots Guards 580 520 
		
	
	
		
			 1st Battalion Irish Guards 510 470 
			 1st Battalion Welsh Guards 540 510 
			 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland 570 510 
			 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland 500 540 
			 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland 530 510 
			 4th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland 460 530 
			 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland 530 450 
			 1st Battalion The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment 640 570 
			 2nd Battalion The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment 560 500 
			 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers 630 620 
			 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers 570 520 
			 1st Battalion The Parachute Regiment 530 530 
			 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment 520 490 
			 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment 510 510 
		
	
	Information on sustainability for 2012 and 2013 is not held. The estimates of sustainability for the period 1995 to 2011 were produced as part of the Army's work for Army 2020 and is not information that is generally produced.

Home Ownership

Marcus Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to help improve home ownership amongst members of the armed forces.

Anna Soubry: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friends the Members for Romsey and Southampton North (Caroline Nokes), Montgomeryshire (Glyn Davies), Selby and Ainsty (Nigel Adams) and Banbury (Sir Tony Baldry) on 4 November 2013, Official Report, columns 10-11.

Military Alliances

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the five-year plan for Five Powers Defence Arrangements exercises.

Andrew Murrison: Since the five year plan for Five Powers Defence Arrangements exercises is a classified document, I am unable to place a copy in the Library of the House.

Military Alliances

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to extend the Five Powers Defence Arrangements to cover non-conventional threats.

Andrew Murrison: The Five Powers Defence Arrangements are not specific to any particular threat type. Therefore, I see no requirement to extend them.

Military Alliances

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he next plans to meet his Malaysian counterpart to discuss the Five Powers Defence Arrangements.

Andrew Murrison: The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), discussed the Five Powers Defence Arrangements (FPDA) with his Malaysian counterpart at the Shangri-La Dialogue this summer. I anticipate that the next time such discussions will take place will be at the next meeting of the Five Powers Defence Arrangements Ministerial Meeting (FDMM). This is due to be held in the middle of 2014.

Reserve Forces: Young People

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what work is taking place to assess the effect that service in the Reserves might have on young people from deprived backgrounds.

Philip Dunne: For individuals not in employment, reserve service offers an excellent opportunity to gain employment skills arid experience. The Ministry of Defence has piloted a number of training schemes for those not in employment, education or training, some of which have resulted in trainees achieving NVQ qualifications. These are programmes that the Department will be developing further.

Territorial Army: Northern Ireland

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans his Department has for the future use of Territorial Army bases in Northern Ireland.

Andrew Murrison: There are no current plans to change the detail announced in the House by the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), on 3 July 2013, Official Report, columns 49-53WS. Where Territorial Army bases no longer have a Defence purpose, they will be disposed of by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, in accordance with departmental procedures.

UK Membership of EU

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make an assessment of the costs and benefits of a decision for the UK to leave the EU in his Department's area of responsibility; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Murrison: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for Europe, my right hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (Mr Lidington), on 29 January 2013, Official Report, column 709W, to the hon. Member for Wolverhampton North East (Emma Reynolds). The Department has hot made any plans for the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

War Pensions

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of applications to the war pension scheme are successful in receiving financial compensation.

Philip Dunne: The following table provides the claims intake and those awarded by pension type under the provisions of the War Pensions Scheme in the latest period for which figures are available.
	
		
			 War Pensions Scheme 
			  Claims Received (Number) Percentage awarded (%) Claims awarded and receiving financial compensation (Number) 
			 All War Disablement Pension claims 8,650 67 5,825

Warships

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the reasons are for the (a) underspend in the building cost of HMS Portland and (b) overspend in the cost of HMS Sutherland.

Philip Dunne: In order to establish the reasons for the variation in the build costs of HMS Portland (in service date September 2001) and HMS Sutherland (in service date December 1997), it would be necessary to investigate historic contract information that is no longer held centrally by the Ministry of Defence and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

EADS

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what public funding from the public purse EADS received in the latest period for which figures are available.

Michael Fallon: holding answer 31 October 2013
	EADS consists of a number of subsidiaries, including Airbus. I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I provided to him on 31 October 2013, Official Report, column 579W.
	The Government has a range of contractual and funding arrangements with EADS and its subsidiary companies, many of them commercially sensitive.
	In the financial year 2012-13, EADS received payments on MOD contracts for just over £812 million. In addition, it received around £55 million in repayable interest-bearing loans and also grants for R&D and skills-related activities. Over the same period, EADS made repayments of existing loans to the UK Government of just over £160 million.
	These figures do not include any arrangements that may have been made directly with the devolved Administrations or local authorities.

Environment Protection: Taxation

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which companies have benefited from compensation for high energy user industry to mitigate the effect of the carbon floor tax to date; and what amount was received by each.

Michael Fallon: The Government has begun compensating companies for the indirect costs of the European Union Emissions Trading System in accordance with the guidance which we published on 20 May. To date a total of £16 million has been paid to 17 companies.
	To date no companies have been compensated for the indirect costs of the carbon floor price as we are waiting for state aid clearance from the European Commission. Subject to this we expect to commence compensation in 2014.

Exports

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the rate of growth in exports of (a) goods and (b) services from each UK region was in each of the last three years.

Michael Fallon: The annual rate of growth in goods exports from each UK region since 2010 is given in Table 1. These estimates are based on Regional Trade Statistics figures published by HMRC at the following link,
	https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/RTS/Pages/default.aspx
	A breakdown of UK exports of services by region is not available.
	
		
			 Table 1: Annual growth in exports of goods, by UK region 
			 Percentage 
			  2012 2011 2010 
			 East -4.3 20.8 12.5 
			 East Midlands 3.0 16.6 4.9 
			 London 1.2 18.1 28.6 
			 North East 1.0 13.3 24.5 
			 North West -4.2 6.5 5.8 
			 South East -2.8 1.1 10.5 
			 South West -1.9 11.4 7.0 
			 West Midlands 7.3 15.4 29.4 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber -3.0 15.4 19.6 
			 England -0.8 11.8 15.1 
			 Northern Ireland -4.7 8.6 3.4 
			 Scotland 1.3 11.2 13.2 
			 Wales -10.4 14.3 18.9 
			 Unknown 13.2 16.2 33.3 
			 Notes: 1. The 'Unknown' category includes trade that cannot be assigned to one of the nine English regions, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. 2. The figures are distorted by the so-called 'head office effect'. The national head office usually makes trade declarations on behalf of some or all companies within the trading group. This creates a bias towards recording trade to regions around London and the South-East (where head/administrative offices predominate) and away from other regions. Source: HMRC Regional Trade Statistics.

Graduates: Employment

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure that British students have the skills to compete for jobs that are currently popular with migrants.

Matthew Hancock: We are reforming the skills system so that it is more rigorous, responds both to the needs of individuals and employers, matches the demands of the local labour market and helps businesses to grow. This will enable residents in England to gain the skills employers want and reduce businesses' reliance on migrant workers. The key elements of our reforms are expanding and raising the quality of apprenticeships, supporting and demanding improved standards in further education, and giving employers more direct control over skills provision.
	Migrant workers are employed in different parts of the economy at various skill levels. We are addressing low skill levels in the workforce by fully funding basic English and maths and providing training targeted towards local employment opportunities. We are raising skill levels by supporting more higher apprenticeships, enabling progression to more highly skilled jobs, and encouraging universities to collaborate more closely with employers. We are determined to create a highly skilled workforce that can compete successfully with the best in the world.

Insolvency

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will bring forward legislative proposals to preclude those who put companies into administration from choosing their own administrator.

Jo Swinson: The Government has no plans to bring forward additional legislation to preclude those who put companies into administration from choosing their own administrator as a number of safeguards already exist to ensure the administration process is not abused.
	An administrator is already obliged by law to perform their functions in the interests of the company's creditors as a whole, regardless of how and by whom their appointment has taken place. Only authorised insolvency practitioners can be administrators and a creditor has the right to apply to Court for an order to remove an administrator if they feel there has been a breach of duty in relation to the company.

Insolvency

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will bring forward legislative proposals to give creditors' committees greater powers to instruct insolvency practitioners.

Jo Swinson: The purpose of a creditors' committee is to provide a forum for creditors to challenge and influence an insolvency practitioner's actions, including in relation to their remuneration.
	Professor Elaine Kempson has recently published a review into fees charged by insolvency practitioner office-holders:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/insolvency/insolvency-profession/review-of-ip-fees
	which proposes reforms to the way in which creditors engage in insolvency, including creditors' committees. We are now working on a proposed way forward and intend to make announcement in due course.

Insolvency

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will bring forward legislative proposals to introduce an insolvency practitioner ombudsman.

Jo Swinson: The Government is considering proposals to improve confidence in the insolvency practitioner regime and increase returns to creditors. This will include responding to Professor Elaine Kempson's report on insolvency practitioner office-holder's fees and enhancing the powers of the Secretary of State as oversight regulator.
	This will build on recent reforms which introduced a single complaints gateway for anyone making a complaint against an insolvency practitioner, and common disciplinary guidelines for the recognised professional bodies which authorise insolvency practitioners:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/insolvency/contact-us/IP-Complaints-Gateway

Lasers

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment she has made of the availability of class 3a and 3b laser pens.

Jo Swinson: The Department has not made any assessment of the availability of class 3a and 3b laser pens.

Ministerial Policy Advisers

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many officials at what grades are employed to provide direct support to special advisers in his Department.

Jo Swinson: The Department has four ministerial special advisers who are directly supported by one faststream; one higher executive officer and two executive officer members of staff.

New Businesses: Essex

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many start-up loans have been granted to businesses in (a) Chelmsford constituency and (b) Essex in the last five years.

Matthew Hancock: The Start-Up Loans scheme volumes for (a) Chelmsford constituency and (b) Essex are as follows. The Start-Up Loans Company does not capture data at constituency level, therefore the figures following are obtained by postcode region.
	(a) Chelmsford—25 loans with a total value of £205,257
	(b) Essex—83 loans with a total value of £586,447

Post Offices

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effects on local communities of post office branch closures;
	(2)  what steps he has taken to reduce the number of closures of post office branches.

Jo Swinson: This Government has made a commitment that there will be no Post Office closure programme, planned or otherwise, and is providing £1.34 billion to 2015 to modernise and create a sustainable Post Office network of at least 11,500 branches which is also compliant with the Government-set access criteria. The Post Office network has experienced a high level of stability since 2010, halting over two decades of closures and decline. The size of the network is at its most stable for over 20 years.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Billing

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many invoices have been paid more than once resulting in a duplicate payment by his Department since May 2010.

Brandon Lewis: In my Department's publication “50 ways to save”, we asserted that councils could save money by conducting audits of potential duplicate payments and reforming accounts payable processes. This was based on research by Experian of both local and central Government bodies.
	In my answer of 22 January 2013, Official Report, column 210-211W, I noted how my Department has itself undertaken such best practice, and had duly recovered £48,186 of taxpayers' money from duplicate payments, apart from a sum of £257 which was not recoverable. I also noted that we had commissioned business analytics and information services firm, PRGX, to carry out a full spend-recovery audit on our accounts payable system and help us further improve and reform administrative practices.
	The PRGX analysis and best practice recommendations has since helped us recover further payments. From May 2010 to October 2013, a total of £61,301 has been recovered from 20 duplicate payments made in that period, while just £257 (from three payments) was not recoverable. My Department has also been able to recover a further £32,000 from historic payments made between 2006 and 2009.
	PRGX's audit report has subsequently noted that 99.999% of the transaction value reviewed was processed correctly, and that:
	"DCLG have been effective in limiting supplier overpayments. The low rate of errors identified by the audit and statement request process indicates the current processes and controls continue to limit supplier overpayments."
	This sizeable saving endorses what we said in “50 ways to save”: systematically addressing duplicate payments is a common-sense way of saving taxpayers' money.

Billing

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department issues e-bills when requesting payments from other bodies.

Brandon Lewis: Currently the Department for Communities and Local Government does not issue e-bills when requesting payments from other bodies, although, invoices are often sent as e-mail attachments. We do plan to implement e-billing in due course.

Care Homes

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment he has made of the use of transfer or exit fees charged on retirement homes; and if he will make a statement.

Kris Hopkins: holding answer 4 November 2013
	The Department for Communities and Local Government has not made an assessment on the use of transfer or exit fees that arise out of covenants found in leases in the residential leasehold retirement sector.
	The Office of Fair Trading published its report and recommendations on its investigation into transfer fees on 1 February 2013.

Council Tax

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for how many local authorities in England it is a default position to collect council tax payments via direct debit or other fractional payment means over 12 months rather than 10.

Brandon Lewis: Since April 2013. local taxpayers have been able to request to pay their council tax bills over 12 monthly payments rather than 10 payments, if they wish.
	This is an option for individual taxpayers.
	We have not specifically asked councils to change their default position. We do not collect data accordingly. But I am open to representations on how we can further promote this new right.

Electrical Safety

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the risks of fire in the home caused by an increase in the use of moulded plastic fuse boards.

Brandon Lewis: Safety standards for electrical equipment are set by the British Standards Institute.
	My Department has made no assessment of the risks of fire in the home caused by an increase in the use of moulded plastic fuse boxes. However, I am aware that the British Standards Institute is currently considering the issue of overheated cut out fuses following a report by East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service.

First East

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much (a) his Department and (b) relevant local authorities spent on 1st East Urban Regeneration Company throughout that body's existence.

Kris Hopkins: 1st East Urban Regeneration Company received support of £1,025,000 from the Department's delivery bodies—English Partnerships and subsequently the Homes and Communities Agency (of which the Homes and Communities Agency contributed £650,000)—from its formation in 2005 until its closure on 31 March 2011.
	In addition to the above, the Department has supported the area formerly covered by 1st East Urban Regeneration Company, Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth, in a number of ways:
	The Coastal Communities Fund awarded Great Yarmouth borough council £600,000 to provide business and social enterprise support, skills and training to help create 200 businesses and 300 new jobs.
	The Coastal Communities Fund also awarded Suffolk county council £762,000 to create 200 new employer-led apprenticeships to develop skills in the low-carbon energy sector in coastal communities in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex.
	The Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft Enterprise Zone has been established in the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership area, covering two sites in Great Yarmouth and four sites around Lowestoft including the port areas of both towns.
	The New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership received £3 million from the Regional Growth Fund (Round 3) to provide access to finance to small and medium enterprises in East Anglia which includes Great Yarmouth. The programme will create over 150 jobs locally over its lifetime. The Local Enterprise Partnership was also successful in its application to extend the programme in Round 4, in July. The exact terms of the award, including grant and jobs target is currently being agreed.
	European Regional Development funding has been provided to benefit businesses and support job creation across Norfolk and Suffolk. Projects in the area include SCORE, Hub to Spokes and East Coast Carbon Efficiency.
	The Department does not hold information on local authority spending.

Foreign Investment in UK

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he has had with UK Trade & Industry on inward investments into enterprise zones.

Kris Hopkins: The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has had regular engagement with UK Trade & Industry in respect to their role regarding inward investment since the 24 enterprise zones were announced in 2011. This reflects the importance of their role in terms of attracting inward investment to the UK and actively supporting enterprise zones to market their offer to foreign direct investors.

Housing Estates: Management

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will commission a review of the level of service offered to homeowners by property management companies.

Kris Hopkins: The Government has no plans to commission a review of the level of service offered to homeowners by property management companies.
	The “Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013” includes a power for the Secretary of State to require leasehold managing agents, among others, to belong to an approved redress scheme, and we are making rapid progress in putting such schemes in place.

Local Government

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment his Department has made of the potential to reduce the number of statutory duties imposed on local authorities.

Brandon Lewis: The Government is committed to reducing burdens on local government, and has undertaken a series of steps to remove top-down inspection, rein in data reporting and scale back ring-fencing. Certainly, there is more to do.
	My Department undertook a comprehensive review of the statutory duties that relate to local government in 2011. I refer my hon. Friend to the written statement of 30 June 2011, Official Report , columns 58-9WS, on the conclusions of that review. There was not a great degree of consensus among the public, or indeed local government, on the way ahead.
	Consequently, we think it best to take this forward on a case by case basis—for example, the draft Deregulation Bill contains provision for the removal of some redundant duties.

Local Government: Bye Laws

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he intends to bring forward legislative proposals on new regulations to bring into effect a simplified by-law process for local authorities.

Brandon Lewis: We intend before the end of this parliamentary Session to lay regulations simplifying councils' byelaw making processes.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what value of loans applied for under the Help to Buy scheme to date relate to properties in (a) Greater London and (b) the rest of England; and what estimate he has made of demand for the scheme in each region of the UK.

Kris Hopkins: holding answer 9 October 2013
	The Help to Buy equity loan scheme is a demand-led scheme, which we anticipate will help up to 74,000 households into a new build home, supporting investment of over £3.7 billion, between 2013-14 and 2015-16.
	Official statistics for the Help to Buy equity loan scheme, including local authority-level data, will be published by my Department on 21 November. Initial indications have indicated that the scheme has already helped 15,000 households reserve a new build home in the first six months.
	As outlined in the written ministerial statement of 18 September 2012, Official Report, columns 32-5WS, my Department does not collate statistics by the former Government office regions.
	The separate Help to Buy mortgage guarantee scheme is overseen by HM Treasury.

Non-domestic Rates: Nottinghamshire

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the total value of business rates levied in Nottinghamshire was in each of the last three years; and in which parliamentary constituency each business paying such rates is located.

Brandon Lewis: Details of the amount (in £ thousands) of non-domestic rates collectable from ratepayers in Nottinghamshire in respect of each of the last three years are shown in the following table. The figures shown are the amount authorities would collect in the year if everyone liable for non-domestic rates in that year had paid. This includes not only those who are liable to pay for the whole year but also those who are liable to pay for part of the year and takes account of the amount of relief given.
	
		
			 £000 
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Ashfield 29,529 30,746 32,043 
			 Bassetlaw 36,317 37,299 39,229 
			 Broxtowe 23,447 24,599 25,079 
			 Gedling 20,059 20,524 21,074 
			 Mansfield 26,410 27,747 28,456 
			 Newark and Sherwood 29,646 35,431 37,898 
			 Nottingham City 123,476 126,299 127,835 
			 Rushcliffe 22,266 22,750 24,205 
			 Total 311,150 325,395 335,819 
		
	
	his information is contained in statistical releases on collection rates of council tax and non-domestic rates published on the DCLG part of the .gov.uk website.
	Data for 2010-11 can be found in table 7 of the 2010-11 release:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/collection-rates-for-council-tax-and-non-domestic-rates-in-england-2010-to-2011
	Data for 2011-12 and 2012-13 can be found in table 4 of the 2012-13 release:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/collection-rates-for-council-tax-and-non-domestic-rates-in-england-2012-to-2013
	The data are as reported by billing authorities on the annual quarterly collection rates of council tax (QRC4) return. Data are not collected at a constituency level.
	Year-on-year changes reflect a number of factors such as: changes in the base; the retail prices index adjustment to annual bills; and variations in levels of relief granted.
	The Government's commitment to the annual retail prices index cap means that there has been no real terms increase in business rates since 1990. We have also taken a number of steps on business rates. We have: temporarily doubled the level of small business rate relief for a further year—making three and a half years in total—so that the higher level of relief will apply throughout 2013-14; announced a new measure which will mean that empty new builds will be exempt from empty property rates for up to 18 months up to state aid limits between 1 October 2013 and 31 October 2016; simplified the process for claiming small business rate relief by removing red tape; introduced business rate relief in the Enterprise Zones; waived £175 million of backdated business rates demands levied on businesses, including some in ports; and given local authorities wide ranging, discretionary powers to grant business rates discounts.

Senior Civil Servants

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many senior staff his Department shares with other Government departments.

Brandon Lewis: The Department for Communities and Local Government shares two senior staff with other Government Departments. One is the Director of Internal Audit and the other the Deputy Director of Estates. While not shared, Sir Bob Kerslake combines his role as DCLG Permanent Secretary with his Head of the Civil Service role.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Energy Companies Obligation

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many Energy Company Obligation measures were installed, by type of obligation, between October 2012 and December 2012.

Gregory Barker: The latest monthly statistical release showed that a provisional 244,882 measures were installed under the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) to end of August 2013. Very few of these measures were installed before 2013 but Table 1 as follows provides a breakdown by installation date in 2012 and type of obligation.
	
		
			 Table 1: Provisional number of ECO measures installed between October-December 2012 by type of obligation 
			  Carbon Saving Obligation Carbon Savings Communities Obligation Affordable Warmth 
			 October 2012 174 7 9 
			 November 2012 68 23 89 
			 December 2012 94 140 248 
			 October-December 2012 336 170 346 
		
	
	The latest monthly statistical release can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/green-deal-and-energy-company-obligation-eco-monthly-statistics-october-2013

Energy: Prices

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to his response to the hon. Member for Southampton Test of 31 October 2013, Official Report, column 1101, which levies on consumer energy (a) are and (b) are not subject to the Review announced by the Prime Minister on 23 October 2013.

Gregory Barker: Further details will be announced at the time of the autumn statement. As has already been stated publicly, the work of the review is not looking at investment incentives for renewables, the renewables obligation, contracts for difference and feed in tariffs, which are essential for the Government's long term investment programme in the energy sector.

UK Membership of EU

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will make an assessment of the costs and benefits of a decision for the UK to leave the EU in his Department's area of responsibility; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Wolverhampton North East (Emma Reynolds), on 29 January 2013, Official Report, column 709W. The Department has not made any plans for the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

Water Power

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the total spending in the (a) public and (b) private sector of all research on (i) wave and (ii) tidal energy sources since 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The Government has spent approximately £47.42 million to support research and development for wave and tidal technologies since 2010/11 to 2012/13. Spending per technology type is not currently available.
	
		
			 £ million 
			 Funding organisation 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 
			 Research Councils UK 8.04 2.38 4.28 
			 Energy Technologies Institute(1) 2.34 3.42 3.30 
			 Technology Strategy Board 3.50 4.19 3.29 
			 Department of Energy and Climate Change 12.6 — 0.08 
			 Total: £47.42 26.48 9.99 10.95 
			 (1 )The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) is a public-private partnership. 50% of the ETI's funding is received from the Department for Business and Innovation's (BIS's) sponsored Technology Strategy Board (TSB) and Research Councils UK (RCUK). The figures provided only represent the public contribution to the ETI for expenditure on tidal and wave energy. 
		
	
	In addition, some of these schemes leverage additional private sector funding. There may be other private sector research spend which organisations undertake without public sector support.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what consideration she has given to introducing longer tours of stay for civilian staff of her Department in Afghanistan.

Justine Greening: DFID follows standard tour and rotation lengths in line with other UK Government Departments in the British embassy.

Charitable Donations

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to encourage employees to make tax-free donations directly from salaries.

Justine Greening: The Department has a mechanism for staff to donate via payroll giving (Give as You Earn) and this arrangement is published to all staff via the internal staff intranet.

Developing Countries: Genetically Modified Organisms

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much her Department gave to support the development of genetically-modified organisms in the latest period for which figures are available.

Justine Greening: No DFID funding is specifically allocated to genetically modified organisms.

Lost Property

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what equipment of her Department has been lost or stolen (a) overseas and (b) in the UK since 2011.

Justine Greening: DFID's central write off records show the following equipment reported as lost or stolen, overseas and in the UK, during the years ended 31 March 2012 and 31 March 2013:
	
		
			  Lost/stolen 2011-12 Lost/stolen 2012-13 
			 Items UK Overseas UK Overseas 
			 Laptops 8 11 3 5 
			 Mobile phones 2 2 0 6 
			 USB sticks 2 0 0 5 
			 Blackberries 1 1 3 3 
			 Microphone 1 0 0 0 
			 Monitor 0 0 1 0

Philippines

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support her Department is providing to those affected by the recent earthquake in the Philippines.

Alan Duncan: DFID is providing a package of humanitarian support to over 300,000 people displaced as part of the Bohol earthquake and Zamboanga emergency, and to 945,000 people internally displaced by natural disaster and conflict in the Mindanao region of the Philippines.
	The UK will provide around £4.3 million to meet urgent shelter, health and sanitation, and food needs. The UK support will also help to protect those caught up in violence and conflict, particularly women and girls. Funds will be managed by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Stress

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what decompression support is available to civilian staff of her Department after a period of duty overseas.

Justine Greening: DFID offers decompression support to staff both during and after a period of duty overseas in accordance with best practice developed through close co-operation with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Crisis Loans

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what proportion of the money allocated for crisis loans from local authorities was distributed in the first two quarters of this year;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the criteria used by local authorities for determining eligibility for crisis loans;
	(3)  if he will monitor the administration of crisis loans by local authorities.

Steve Webb: Crisis loans are not administered by local authorities. From 1 April 2013, crisis loans were abolished, and funding transferred to English local authorities and the Scottish and Welsh governments, to deliver new local welfare provision. The new provision allows local authorities to deliver tailored, flexible support to those in greatest need based on detailed knowledge of the issues they are facing in their communities. This funding is now therefore better targeted than the previous, more remote, centralised system.
	The money was allocated based on the percentage of spend of the discretionary Social Fund budget in a local authority area between April 2011 and September 2011. That was the most up-to-date information the Government had on Social Fund spend by local authority area at the time of allocation.
	Further details are available on our website at:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130513091402/http://dwp.gov.uk/local-authority-staff/social-fund-reform/
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130513091402/http://dwp.gov.uk/docs/social-fund-settlement-funding-allocation.pdf
	We are committed to conducting a review of how local authorities are operating their schemes during 2014. This will be based on a sample of local authorities.

Employment and Support Allowance

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether someone who is awaiting a mandatory reconsideration on an application for employment support allowance and who possesses a note from a doctor stating they are unfit for work is eligible to receive jobseeker's allowance; and what guidance his Department has issued to jobcentres to cover such a circumstance.

Esther McVey: Claimants cannot receive employment and support allowance and jobseeker's allowance at the same time. Where a claimant has been found fit for work following a Work Capability Assessment, the decision is binding on the decision maker for all benefits, including jobseeker's allowance. Where such decisions are made, the Department advises the claimant and the GP that medical evidence is no longer required, as benefit entitlement is based on a functional assessment carried out by a health care professional, rather than on the basis of a fit note from the doctor. Consequently a person with a fit note could be eligible for jobseeker's allowance if the conditions of entitlement are met.
	DWP advisers have the flexibility to tailor conditionality to suit a claimants circumstances and appropriate guidance is issued to DWP staff in Jobcentres.

Employment Schemes: Disability

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have been referred to Work Choice in each month since it commenced.

Esther McVey: A quarterly breakdown of the number of Work Choice referrals up to 30 June 2013 can be found in the following publication:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/229350/work-choice-statistics-august-2013.pdf

Employment Schemes: Disability

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are currently engaged in Work Choice.

Esther McVey: Information on how many people are currently engaged in Work Choice is not available. Data are collected on the number of people who start Work Choice and the number of people who subsequently achieve a job outcome. This can be found up to 30 June 2013 in the following publication.
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/229350/work-choice-statistics-august-2013.pdf

Housing Benefit

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what performance targets he has established for local authorities on the processing and payment of housing benefit.

Steve Webb: The Department for Work and Pensions does not set housing benefit targets for local authorities, who are themselves responsible for the administration of housing benefit. However, the Department does publish average speed of processing statistics and officials may contact a local authority if they have concerns about its processing times.
	The average speed of processing statistics can be found here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/housing-benefit-and-council-tax-benefit-statistics-on-speed-of-processing--2

Jobcentre Plus

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what training is available for Jobcentre Plus advisers on autism.

Esther McVey: Jobcentre Plus advisers have access to a comprehensive learning programme to support them in dealing with claimants with varied health conditions which includes autism. This learning focuses on raising awareness of the individual's personal circumstances and recognises that health conditions, such as autism, can affect individuals in different, ways. Staff also have access to a suite of guidance and specialist sources of help including the Hidden Impairment Toolkit and the ‘Employment Health Conditions Disability Guide note for Advisers’, which provides practical advice and guidance on how best to support individuals with autistic spectrum disorders into employment.
	Disability employment advisers receive additional learning appropriate to this specialist area. Their training has been designed in conjunction with specialist DWP occupational psychologists to enable them to provide effective support to people with particular complex needs and includes case studies relating to autism to ensure the key points are communicated effectively in the learning.

Universal Credit

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of withdrawing housing benefit protection under universal credit on (a) rent arrears and (b) the average length of a claim for people recently unemployed.

Steve Webb: No assessment is available, as there is no direct link between the housing benefit system and universal credit.
	The 13-week protection rule in housing benefit allows a more generous level of support for people who have not claimed in the preceding 12 months and who could afford their rent when they took on the commitment. It was designed to provide protection for people on higher incomes who lose their jobs, allowing them a buffer period before their rent support is reduced to the local housing allowance level.
	Introducing such a provision in universal credit would benefit only those whose earnings when in work were high enough to lift them clear of Universal credit. Lower-income workers would not be eligible for this protection if they lost their job. Further it would be incompatible with universal credit design principles, and would add complexity and administrative costs to the calculation process.

EDUCATION

Children: Day Care

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what the purpose is of his Department's survey of ratios in nurseries and other childcare settings; what the cost is of conducting the survey; how long it will run for; and when the results of the survey will be published;
	(2)  what recent discussions (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department have had with the Deputy Prime Minister and his office about his Department's survey of ratios in nurseries and other childcare settings.

Elizabeth Truss: In 2008, ratios were changed so that nurseries could have 13 children aged three and over per adult when led by a teacher. ‘More Affordable Childcare’, published in July 2013, said that the Government would “continue to encourage providers to employ graduates, by making greater use of the existing 1:13 ratio for three- and four-year-olds where there is a teacher, Early Years Professional, or other suitably-qualified graduate working directly with the children”. We want this flexibility to be used more widely because evidence shows that teacher-led provision improves outcomes for children.
	The survey was designed to inform our understanding about what barriers might be preventing early years providers from using this existing flexibility. There was no additional, external cost to this activity beyond the normal use of existing departmental resources. The survey was posted on a website for just under a week and has now concluded.
	The Department for Education continues to work closely with the Deputy Prime Minister's office and others across the Government's child care reform agenda.

Free Schools

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether governors of free schools are individually and collectively responsible for the repayment of false financial claims made by the school of which they are governors.

Edward Timpson: Free schools are a type of academy trust and the model for academy governance was established at the start of the academies programme in September 2002. Individual governors can only be held liable for the repayment of false financial claims made by the school if it is proven that they have breached their duties as either directors or trustees of the academy trust.

Free Schools

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department takes to monitor the finances and expenditures of free schools.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education has established an accountability system for academy trusts, including those operating free schools, which reflects their status as companies, charities and public bodies. The accountability system for academy trusts is more robust than it is for maintained schools.
	Academy trusts are constituted as companies limited by guarantee, so are subject to the full rigour of the Companies Act. This means that, unlike maintained schools, academies are required to file independently audited accounts. Because academy trusts are constituted as companies their governors are also company directors. This means that academy governors are subject to the full range of statutory and fiduciary duties required of a company director. Academies are also constituted as charitable trusts. This means that the governors of academy trusts have the additional responsibility of also being charitable trustees and therefore are also subject to the full range of statutory and fiduciary duties which apply to trustees.
	Academy trusts must also comply with the requirements of the funding agreement and the academies financial handbook. Under this system, trusts are required to provide the following returns to the Education Funding Agency (EFA): annual financial statements audited by a registered auditor and an audited report on regularity of expenditure and income; statements from the trust's accounting officer on regularity, propriety and value for money; a budget forecast return; a financial management and governance self-assessment (provided shortly after an academy opens) and an electronic accounts return.
	The EFA adopts a risk based approach to reviewing these returns, to provide assurance over the regularity of expenditure and income and to monitor financial health. Action is taken in response to issues or concerns raised by these returns, as necessary.
	The financial viability and resilience of free school proposals is also tested at the application stage. During pre-opening, free school projects are required to account fully for the pre-opening grants provided by the Department. As income and costs are clarified during the pre-opening stage, revised financial projections are scrutinised prior to the Secretary of State entering into a funding agreement with the academy trust to operate the school.

GCSE

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether people who did not achieve a GCSE grade A*-C in (a) English and (b) mathematics by the end of Year 11 will be expected to have done so by the age of 18 as part of 16-19 study programmes.

Elizabeth Truss: From September 2013, students aged 16 to 19 who have not yet achieved a GCSE grade C or above in English and mathematics by age 16 must continue to work towards achieving these qualifications. This requirement will be made a condition of post-16 student places being funded from September 2014.
	Students who are not ready to retake their GCSEs immediately may take other approved qualifications to help equip them for their GCSEs.
	The Government announced this requirement in July 2012.(1) The Education and Funding Agency has published guidance on 16 to 19 funding, including the English and mathematics conditions of funding.(2)
	(1)http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130401151715/https:/www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationDetail/Page1/DFE-00069-2012
	(2)http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/f/funding%20review%20june%2013%20v4.pdf

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many secondary school students sitting GCSEs were eligible for free school meals in each year since 2004; what number and proportion of such students were entered for the EBac suite of subjects, both as a number and as a percentage of free school meal students; how many and what proportion of such students achieved grades A*-C in EBac subjects; and what proportion of such students entered for the EBac achieved the required grades.

David Laws: The following table provides information on the number and percentage of pupils who were entered for and achieved the EBacc by free school meal eligibility in 2010/11 and 2011/12. The table also shows the number and percentage of pupils who achieved an A*-C in each of the EBacc subjects by free school meal eligibility.
	It is not possible to provide information prior to 2010/11 as this would incur disproportionate costs. The answer is based on the standard count of pupils at the end of key stage 4 as that gives a cumulative picture of the attainment for a whole cohort as opposed to those who sat GCSEs in a particular year.
	
		
			 Pupils(1) achieving the English Baccalaureate at the end of Key Stage 4 by pupils eligible for free school meals and those pupils achieving the components of the English Baccalaureate. Years: 2010/11 to 2011/12 (final)(2).Coverage: England, state-funded schools (including Academies and CTCs) 
			  Number of eligible pupils(1) Number of pupils entering the English Baccalaureate Percentage of pupils entering the English Baccalaureate Number of pupils achieving the English Baccalaureate Percentage of pupils achieving the English Baccalaureate Of those entering the percentage achieving the English Baccalaureate 
			 2011/12       
			 FSM 80,194 7,345 9.2 4,047 5.0 55.1 
			 All other pupils(3) 481,111 122,272 25.4 86,630 18.0 70.9 
			 All pupils(4) 561,305 129,617 23.1 90,677 16.2 70.0 
			        
			 2010/11       
			 FSM 79,168 6,272 7.9 3,373 4.3 53.8 
			 All other pupils(3) 487,759 116,252 23.8 83,717 17.2 72.0 
			 All pupils(4) 566,927 122,524 21.6 87,090 15.4 71.1 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of pupils achieving the components of the English Baccalaureate: 
			  English Mathematics Sciences History or Geography Languages 
			 2011/12      
			 FSM 36,290 38,479 20,098 11,572 10,866 
			 All other pupils(3) 338,094 350,694 249,981 176,468 143,611 
			 All pupils(4) 374,384 389,173 270,079 188,040 154,477 
			       
			 2010/11      
			 FSM 36,372 33,821 18,403 10,513 10,157 
			 All other pupils(3) 353,278 335,656 243,475 173,332 143,934 
			 All pupils(4) 389,650 369,477 261,878 183,845 154,091 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage of pupils achieving the components of the English Baccalaureate: 
			  English Mathematics Sciences History or Geography Languages 
			 2011/12      
			 FSM 45.3 48.0 25.1 14.4 13.5 
			 All other pupils(3) 70.3 72.9 52.0 36.7 29.8 
			 All pupils(4) 66.7 69.3 48.1 33.5 27.5 
			       
		
	
	
		
			 2010/11      
			 FSM 45.9 42.7 23.2 13.3 12.8 
			 All other pupils(3) 72.4 68.8 49.9 35.5 29.5 
			 All pupils(4) 68.7 65.2 46.2 32.4 27.2 
			 (1) Number of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in each academic year. (2) From 2009/10 iGCSEs, accredited at time of publication, have been counted as GCSE equivalents and also as English and mathematics GCSEs. (3) Includes pupils not eligible for free school meals and for whom free school meal eligibility was unclassified or could not be determined. (4) Includes pupils for whom free school meal eligibility could not be determined. Source: National Pupil Database

Roads: Safety

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will expand the teaching of road safety and the Highway Code in schools as part of the national curriculum.

Elizabeth Truss: Road safety and the Highway Code are topics which schools may include in personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) which is a non-statutory subject in a school's curriculum. PSHE equips children with the knowledge and skills to make safe and informed decisions. Teachers are well-placed to judge which topics to cover, tailored to the needs of their pupils and in the context of the school's overall programme.

Schools: Standards

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what comparative assessment his Department has made of the effect on (a) pupil progress and (b) staff morale of (i) performance related pay and (ii) other methods to achieve and maintain high quality teaching and leadership in schools; and if he will make a statement.

David Laws: The evidence is clear that having the highest quality teachers in the classroom gives pupils the best chances of achieving their full educational potential. Analysis of data from England has shown that being taught by a high quality teacher rather than a low quality one adds 0.425 of a GCSE point per subject to a pupil's attainment(1). We have a range of policies in place designed to improve teacher quality and we are constantly assessing the impact that these policies are having.
	For instance, the reforms we have introduced to ensure that the brightest and best new graduates see teaching as an attractive profession mean that we now have the highest ever recorded proportion (71%) of new teachers with a first or upper-second class degree.
	Our reform of teachers' pay is giving schools greater flexibility to pay the best teachers more and so reward good performance. The first pay decisions under the new arrangements will not take place until autumn 2014.
	(1) http://www.bris.ac.uk/cmpo/publications/papers/2009/wp212.pdf

Special Educational Needs

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on ensuring that changes to the special educational needs system are reflected in the outcomes of the Autism Strategy Review.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education is represented at official level on the Department of Health's Autism Strategy Programme Board and gives regular updates on the proposed changes to the special educational needs (SEN) system, particularly as they affect the transition from children's to adult services. The most recent meeting of the board was on 22 October and the Department for Education attended. Officials from the two Departments also meet regularly to discuss the review and the implications for it of the SEN clauses in the Children and Families Bill.
	The Department for Education will continue to work with the Department of Health to ensure that any revision of the Autism Strategy properly reflects the proposed changes to the special educational needs system.

Special Educational Needs

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of the provision of needs assessments for parents or carers of disabled children and the availability of support for such carers.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education have considered the availability of needs assessments and support for parent-carers of disabled children, working with other Government Departments. The Department is satisfied that there is a strong framework of support in place. There already exists legislation to assess parent-carers' needs within the Children Act 1989 in so far as it meets the needs of individual children in need. Local authorities can provide services to the family members of a child in need with a view to safeguarding or promoting the child's welfare.
	The Government has invested significantly in support for parent-carers of disabled children. This includes committing over £800 million for local authorities to invest in short breaks for both the disabled children and their carers between April 2011 and March 2015 through unringfenced grants, backed by new duties introduced in 2011. The reforms outlined in the Children and Families Bill, along with wider reforms in education and health, will strengthen the current system further for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN), including those who are disabled, and give much greater, more joined-up support to parent-carers.

Teachers: Training

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what risk assessment (a) his Department and (b) the National College of Teaching and Leadership made of the implications for teacher supply of an expansion in School Direct places.

David Laws: Based on the estimated number of trainees needed, the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) allocates teacher training places to accredited initial teacher training (ITT) providers and schools involved in the School Direct scheme (which have to be partnered with an accredited ITT provider).
	Each year, there are approximately 45,000 new teachers in state schools. Of these, around half (23,500) are newly qualified teachers; a third (14,700) qualified earlier; and a fifth (8,200) are returning to teaching. We do not assume that all trainees will complete their training successfully and/or teach immediately in a state school, and that is built into our estimation of places needed.
	This year, as we do every year, we have allocated ITT places above the estimated number of trainees required. This helps us to ensure we train enough teachers, taking account of the likely level, of recruitment in each subject. The allocation number is not a target and should not be regarded as one. If it is not reached, that does not mean that there will be a shortage in trainees.
	School Direct is a response to what schools have asked for: more influence and control over the way that teachers are trained. Schools' enthusiasm for school-led provision has been demonstrated in the increasing interest for School Direct places—schools have requested 17,700 School Direct places this year compared with 9,400 last year. Last year NCTL was able to grant all requests for School Direct places. This year, however, we have allocated 15,400 of the 17,700 of the places that schools have asked for.
	On 31 October, NCTL wrote to lead schools and ITT providers (school-centred initial teacher training and higher education institutions) to inform them of their ITT allocations. Institutions will confirm the number of places they want in the coming weeks. NCTL will then publish the final allocations by lead school and ITT provider to inform applicants' decisions.

Teachers: Training

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many initial teacher training enrolments have been made by (a) mode, (b) subject and (c) provider in the latest period for which data is available; what estimate he has made of the number of multiple applications within that figure; and what proportion of such applications are (i) over and (ii) under National College for Teaching and Leadership targets.

David Laws: The latest period for which initial teacher training (ITT) enrolment data are available is for the 2012/13 academic year and can be found in the ITT Census 2012/13(1). A copy has been placed in the House Library. The ITT census 2012/13 published data does not include individual provider level information. The data refers to new entrants and does not include applications data.
	(1)Available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-training-trainee-number-census
	In 2012/13, applicants were allowed to make four applications through the Graduate Teacher Training Registry (GTTR) application portal for provider places, of which only one application could be active at any one time (note that a small number of providers chose not to use this system). There were no restrictions on the number of applications an applicant could submit for School Direct in 2012/13 as applicants applied directly to the school in the pilot year.
	NCTL does not have a target for the number of applications to ITT places.
	The ITT census 2013/14 will be released on 26 November.

UK Membership of EU

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make an assessment of the costs and benefits of a decision for the UK to leave the EU in his Department's area of responsibility; and if he will make a statement.

Matthew Hancock: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Wolverhampton North East (Emma Reynolds) on 29 January 2013, Official Report, column 709W. The Department has not made any plans for the UK to leave the EU.

HEALTH

Accident and Emergency Departments

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) mean and (b) median wait in type 1 accident and emergency departments was in each quarter of the last six years.

Jane Ellison: The information from April 2008 to March 2012 is shown in the following table. Information prior to this is not available. Information for 2012-13 is not yet available.
	
		
			 Mean and median duration to departure of type 1 accident and emergency (A&E) departments in minutes from April 2008 to March 2012 
			  Mean duration to departure (minutes) Median duration to departure (minutes) 
			 2008-09   
			 Q1 130.6 119 
			 Q2 130.0 119 
			 Q3 143.0 131 
			 Q4 146.5 130 
			    
			 2009-10   
			 Q1 139.6 129 
			 Q2 137.9 127 
			 Q3 148.1 137 
			 Q4 148.3 136 
			    
			 2010-11   
			 Q1 142.2 133 
			 Q2 143.7 134 
			 Q3 153.9 143 
			 Q4 158.1 143 
			    
			 2011-12   
			 Q1 149.7 141 
			 Q2 146.1 137 
			 Q3 153.8 144 
			 Q4 158.2 147 
			 Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre Notes: 1. Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector. 2. Duration to departure: The total amount of time spent in minutes in the A&E department. This is calculated as the difference in time from arrival at A&E to the time when the patient is discharged from A&E care. This includes being admitted to hospital, died in the department, discharged with no follow up or discharged—referred to another specialist department.

Autism

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department will conduct its second review of the adult autism strategy.

Norman Lamb: The Government is currently reviewing the 2010 Adult Autism Strategy for England. The review is an opportunity for us to assess whether the objectives of the strategy remain fundamentally the right ones, to take an honest look at what progress is being achieved by local authorities and the national health service, and consider what should happen to continue to make progress. We will issue a report after the end of November 2013 which summarises the investigative stage of the review and revise the strategy as necessary by the end of March 2014.

Autism

Steve Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will ensure that the mandate for Health Education England includes reference to professional training needs relating to autism.

Daniel Poulter: Health Education England (HEE) is required to have regard to national outcomes and priorities when carrying out its core functions of workforce planning and the commissioning of education, training and development activity.
	The Government's mandate to HEE will be reviewed for 2014-15 to ensure that the objectives are current and meaningful to the needs of our health and care systems.

Breast Cancer

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions his Department has had with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on how the advanced breast cancer: diagnosis and treatment guideline can be updated to include recent evidence on the effects of undertaking biopsies from breast cancer patients with recurrent or metastatic breast cancer.

Norman Lamb: We have had no such discussions.
	The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is responsible for developing independent guidance for the national health service. NICE keeps its published guidance under review to take account of the latest evidence, and any stakeholder can draw NICE'S attention to new evidence that they believe it should consider.
	NICE is currently conducting a rapid update to its clinical guideline on the diagnosis and treatment of advanced breast cancer to take into account new literature focusing on the safety and benefit of exercise for breast cancer-related lymphoedema. The update to the guideline is currently planned for publication in March 2014.

Breast Cancer

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent assessment his Department has made of compliance by NHS England to the breast cancer quality standard statements relating to multi-disciplinary teams and cancer nurse specialists;
	(2)  what steps NHS England is taking to monitor the implementation of the Breast Cancer Quality Standard.

Jane Ellison: The Department has not undertaken such an assessment and NHS England has advised that no assessment has been made in that organisation.
	The structure and function of multi-disciplinary teams (MDTs) and the role of the Cancer Nurse Specialist in care is subject to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's Improving Outcomes Guidance and its implementation is assured through the cancer peer review process. All MDTs have to submit evidence of compliance with the Improving Outcomes Guidance to NHS Improving Quality, the new NHS improvement body, and MDT compliance rates are publicly available through the National Peer Review programme website and the My Cancer Treatment website.

Clinical Commissioning Groups

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding each clinical commissioning group has received for 2013-14.

Daniel Poulter: Clinical commissioning group allocations for 2013-14 have been placed in the Library.

Congenital Abnormalities

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of children are diagnosed at birth with congenital disease.

Daniel Poulter: This information is not collected centrally. Data from the British Isles Network of Congenital Anomaly Registers (BINOCAR) Report 2011 suggests that the birth prevalence of congenital anomalies is approximately 2.5%. This figure includes major structural and chromosomal anomalies but excludes minor anomalies and congenital metabolic diseases. The report is based on six regional registers covering 36% births of England and Wales and is available at:
	www.binocar.org/content/Annual%20report%202011_FINAL_040913.pdf
	The BINOCAR report states that one third of congenital anomalies are diagnosed at or following birth and around three quarters of affected babies are live born.

Disability Aids: Children

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received from (a) charities, (b) individuals and (c) hon. Members regarding paediatric wheelchair provision in the last 12 months.

Norman Lamb: Since November 2012, the Department has received six items of correspondence about paediatric wheelchair provision. One was from a charity, four were from individuals and one was from an hon. Member.

Disability: Children

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of support for parents or carers of disabled children; and if he will discuss with the Secretary of State for Education steps to improve assessments of these carers' needs.

Norman Lamb: The Under-Secretary of State for Education, the hon. Member for Crewe and Nantwich (Mr Timpson), and I have recently had discussions on this issue in the context of both the Care Bill and the Children and Families Bill.
	Policy on supporting disabled children and their families lies clearly with the Department for Education. This includes policy in relation to parent carers of disabled children. A key principle of the Children Act 1989 is that children are best looked after within their families. Under the Act, local authorities are required to provide services for children in need for the purposes of safeguarding and promoting their welfare. Statutory guidance makes it clear that in assessments, local authorities should also look at the parent or carer's capacity to meet the needs of the disabled child.

Genetics: Screening

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the names of the members of NHS England's Molecular Diagnostic Testing Group.

Jane Ellison: The information will be published on the NHS England website in due course. NHS England will provide this information when the list of names is finalised and a copy will be placed in the Library.

Homeopathy

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy on the promotion of homoeopathy through the NHS Choices website is.

Jane Ellison: The purpose of homeopathy information on NHS Choices is to allow the public to make informed decisions, about their health care.
	NHS Choices regularly reviews the content on the NHS Choices website to ensure the information is up to date as well as neutral, factual and objective. The content on homeopathy was updated for greater clarity, particularly about the underlying evidence.

Influenza: Vaccination

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the take-up of the influenza vaccine among those entitled to a free vaccination in (a) England, (b) Cumbria and (c) Barrow and Furness constituency in each of the last three years.

Jane Ellison: The information requested is not collected in the format requested at a national and constituency level. Data from the Cumbria Teaching primary care trust (PCT), which existed until April 2013, has been used to estimate the uptake of the influenza vaccine in Cumbria and is available in the following tables:
	
		
			 Influenza vaccine uptake for those aged 65 years and over 
			  Vaccine uptake (percentage) 
			  England Cumbria Teaching PCT 
			 2010-11 72.8 73.9 
			 2011-12 74.0 75.5 
			 2012-13 73.4 76.1 
		
	
	
		
			 Influenza vaccine uptake for those aged under 65 years falling in a clinical risk-group 
			  Vaccine uptake (percentage) 
			  England Cumbria Teaching PCT 
			 2010-11 50.4 52.7 
			 2011-12 51.6 60.3 
			 2012-13 51.3 60.2 
		
	
	
		
			 Influenza vaccine uptake for all pregnant women 
			  Vaccine uptake (percentage) 
			  England Cumbria Teaching PCT 
			 2010-11 38.0 42.0 
			 2011-12 27.4 36.9 
			 2012-13 40.3 29.5 
			 Source: Public Health England influenza Immunisation Vaccine Uptake Monitoring programme.

Mental Health Services

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people with mental health problems who are victims of crime are properly supported;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department of the conclusions and recommendations of the 2013 report from Mind, Victim Support and others entitled At Risk, Yet Dismissed: The criminal victimisation of people with mental health problems; and if he will meet the authors of that report.

Norman Lamb: The Department agrees that mental health service users are much more likely to be the victims rather than the perpetrators of crime and this is why it welcomed the report “At risk, yet dismissed: The criminal victimisation of people with mental-health problems” and its call for a system wide response to meet the needs of victims of crime with mental health needs.
	The Government has conducted a review of the victim's services, including the Code of Practice for Victims of .Crime to ensure that all victims receive the most appropriate support throughout the criminal justice system process. The Code will provide an enhanced service for three categories of victim: victims of the most serious crime; the most persistently targeted; and vulnerable or intimidated victims.
	The Department is working with the Ministry of Justice to establish ways in which victims of crime with mental health problems can receive the most appropriate support.
	Departmental officials will be meeting with the authors of the report and Ministry of Justice officials.

Mental Health Services: Young People

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many under 18 year olds have been admitted to adult mental health wards in each of the last five years.

Norman Lamb: We do not hold the information in the form requested.
	From 2007-08 until the end of the previous financial year (2010-11), the Department collected statistics under the NHS Operating Framework's Vital Signs Monitoring Returns. This showed that the number of bed days for under 18-year-olds on adult psychiatric wards were as follows:
	
		
			  Bed days 
			 2007-08 17,093 
			 2008-09 12,687 
			 ¦2009-10 6,072 
			 2010-11 5,166 
		
	
	This data collection on children on adult wards referred only to those patients under the care of a psychiatric specialist. It excluded those patients who were in a part of an adult psychiatric ward specifically set aside to meet the needs of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) patients.
	Data from the Health and Social Care Information Centre shows that the following number of bed days in adult specialist mental health facilities were spent by patients under 18 years of age in 2011-12 in each region:
	
		
			  Number 
			 North East 949 
			 North West 6,686 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 490 
			 East Midlands 5,939 
			 West Midlands 1,071 
			 East of England 4,336 
			 London 2,562 
			 South East Coast 192 
			 South Central 1,564 
			 South West 323 
		
	
	
		
			 Total 24,112 
		
	
	From 2011-12, the Health and Social Care Information Centre has been reporting figures based on the Mental Health Minimum Dataset, and publishing this in their quarterly publication Mental Health Trusts' Service Performance Indicator 10. This is defined as the number of bed days for children and adolescents on adult psychiatric wards during the reporting period. This has no exclusion criteria so any patients on an adult ward which has been set aside for CAMHS patients would be included in. the count. The data for 2011-12 are therefore not directly comparable with those for the period 2007-11.

Mental Health Services: Young People

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many under 18 year olds have accessed cognitive behavioural therapy in each of the last five years.

Norman Lamb: These data are not collected centrally by the Department.

Midwives

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many midwives were working in the NHS (a) in Greater Manchester and (b) nationally in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013.

Daniel Poulter: The information requested is included in the table.
	It should be noted that we are unable to accurately map organisation level workforce figures to the Greater Manchester area, but the individual organisations listed are those which cover the hon. Member's constituency area.
	
		
			 NHS hospital and community health services: Registered Midwives in England, the North West Strategic Health Authority area and each specified organisation as at 30 September each specified year(1) 
			 Full time equivalent 
			  2010 2011 2012 2013(1) 
			 England 20,126 20,519 20,935 21,443 
			 Of which:     
			 North West Strategic Health Authority area 2,944 2,913 2,905 2,960 
			 Of which:     
			 Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 211 177 245 267 
			 Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 344 361 347 339 
			 (1) 2010-12 figures are from the annual Non-Medical Workforce Census as at 30 September each year. 2013 figures are from the Provisional Monthly Workforce Census as at 31 July 2013. Notes: 1. Full time equivalent figures are rounded to the nearest whole number. 2. As a consequence of TCS (Transforming Community Services) midwifery services may have transferred between local acute trusts, which may affect time series data for organisations. Monthly data: As from 21 July 2010 the Health and Social Care Information Centre has published provisional monthly NHS workforce data. As expected with provisional statistics, some figures may be revised from month to month as issues are uncovered and resolved. The monthly workforce data is not directly comparable with the annual workforce census; it only includes those staff on the Electronic Staff Record (ESR) (i.e. it does not include Primary care staff or Bank staff). There are also new methods of presenting data (headcount methodology is different and there is now a role count). This information is available from September 2009 onwards at the following website: www.hscic.gov.uk Data Quality: The Health and Social Care Information Centre seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality where changes impact on figures already published. This is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses. Sources: 1. Health and Social Care Information Centre Provisional Monthly Workforce Statistics 2. Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census

Musculoskeletal Disorders

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how Public Health England plans to incorporate the health and wellbeing of people with musculoskeletal conditions into its work-streams and framework for health and wellbeing.

Norman Lamb: The Global Burden of Disease study showed the significant burden of musculoskeletal conditions on the nation's health. Public Health England (PHE), working with local government, NHS England, the Department and others, is developing a Health and Wellbeing Framework for England to develop a common understanding of the public's health, in order to outline contributors to poor wellbeing and the actions we can take to address them.
	PHE is focusing on the prevention of musculoskeletal disease and injury through its work to promote physical activity, tackle obesity, reduce smoking and improve workplace health.

NHS: Finance

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding each local authority has received for health provision in each year since 2010.

Jane Ellison: A ring-fenced public health grant of £5.46 billion for 2013-14 and 2014-15 was announced on 10 January 2013 to support upper tier and unitary local authorities in carrying out their new public health functions from April 2013.
	The following table sets out the public health allocations to upper tier and unitary local authorities for 2013-14 and 2014-15:
	
		
			 Public health allocation to local authorities for 2013-14 and 2014-15 
			 £000 
			 Office for National Statistics local authorities (ONS LA) Code ONS local authority name 2013-14 allocation 2014-15 allocation 
			 E06000001 Hartlepool 8,255 8,486 
			 E06000002 Middlesbrough 15,932 16,378 
			 E06000003 Redcar and Cleveland 10,620 10,917 
			 E06000004 Stockton-on-Tees 12,711 13,067 
			 E06000005 Darlington 6,989 7,184 
			 E06000047 County Durham 44,533 45,780 
			 E06000048 Northumberland 13,043 13,408 
			 E08000020 Gateshead 15,401 15,832 
			 E08000021 Newcastle upon Tyne 20,721 21,301 
			 E08000022 North Tyneside 10,417 10,807 
			 E08000023 South Tyneside 12,565 12,917 
			 E08000024 Sunderland 20,656 21,234 
			 E06000006 Halton 8,510 8,749 
			 E06000007 Warrinqton 10,052 10,439 
			 E06000008 Blackburn with Darwen 12,776 13,134 
			 E06000009 Blackpool 17,457 17,946 
			 E06000049 Cheshire East 13,762 14,274 
			 E06000050 Cheshire West and Chester 13,371 13,889 
			 E08000001 Bolton 18,115 18,906 
			 E08000002 Bury 9,147 9,619 
			 E08000003 Manchester 40,105 44,116 
		
	
	
		
			 E08000004 Oldham 13,559 14,915 
			 E08000005 Rochdale 14,256 14,777 
			 E08000006 Salford 17,075 18,777 
			 E08000007 Stockport 12,360 12,834 
			 E08000008 Tameside 11,454 12,600 
			 E08000009 Trafford 10,171 10,456 
			 E08000010 Wiqan 23,020 23,665 
			 E08000011 Knowsley 15,929 16,375 
			 E08000012 Liverpool 40,308 41,436 
			 E08000013 St. Helens 12,680 13,035 
			 E08000014 Sefton 19,408 19,952 
			 E08000015 Wirral 25,720 26,440 
			 E10000006 Cumbria 14,176 15,594 
			 E10000017 Lancashire 57,991 59,801 
			 E06000010 Kingston upon Hull, City of 21,945 22,559 
			 E06000011 East Ridinq of Yorkshire 8,341 9,175 
			 E06000012 North East Lincolnshire 9,700 9,971 
			 E06000013 North Lincolnshire. 8,071 8,464 
			 E06000014 York 6,641 7,305 
			 E08000016 Barnsley 13,571 14,243 
			 E08000017 Doncaster 19,648 20,198 
			 E08000018 Rotherham 13,790 14,176 
			 E08000019 Sheffield 29,665 30,748 
			 E08000032 Bradford 31,545 34,699 
			 E08000033 Calderdale 9,829 10,679 
			 E08000034 Kirklees 22,603 23,527 
			 E08000035 Leeds 36,855 40,540 
			 E08000036 Wakefield 20,230 20,797 
			 E10000023 North Yorkshire 19,021 19,732 
			 E06000015 Derby 13,167 14,484 
			 E06000016 Leicester 19,995 21,995 
			 E06000017 Rutland 1,044 1,073 
			 E06000018. Nottingham 27,081 27,839 
			 E10000007 Derbyshire 34,680 35,651 
			 E10000018 Leicestershire 20,206 21,863 
			 E10000019 Lincolnshire 27,542 28,506 
			 E10000021 Northamptonshire . 26,839 29,523 
			 E10000024 Nottinghamshire 35,135 36,119 
			 E06000019 Herefordshire, County of 7,753 7,970 
			 E06000020 Telford and Wrekin 10,616 10,913 
			 E06000021 Stoke-on-Trent 19,690 20,242 
			 E06000051 Shropshire 8,948 9,843 
			 E08000025 Birmingham 78,636 80,838 
			 E08000026 Coventry 17,832 19,615 
			 E08000027 Dudley 18,457 18,974 
			 E08000028 Sandwell 20,816 21,805 
			 E08000029 Solihull 9,635 9,905 
			 E08000030 Walsall 14,984 15,827 
			 E08000031 Wolverhampton 18,770 19,296 
			 E10000028 Staffordshire 32,322 33,313 
			 E10000031 Warwickshire 21,216 21,810 
			 E10000034 Worcestershire 25,806 26,528 
			 E06000031 Peterborough 8,446 9,291 
			 E06000032 Luton 11,877 13,065 
			 E06000033 Southend-on-Sea 7,327 8,060 
			 E06000034 Thurrock 7,417 7,624 
		
	
	
		
			 E06000055 Bedford 6,676 7,343 
			 E06000056 Central Bedfordshire 9,873 10,149 
			 E10000003 Cambridgeshire 21,230 22,299 
			 E10000012 Essex 48,874 50,242 
			 E10000015 Hertfordshire 34,220 37,642 
			 E10000020 Norfolk 29,798 30,633 
			 E10000029 Suffolk 25,572 26,289 
			 E09000001 City of London 1,651 1,698 
			 E09000002 Barking and Dagenham 12,921 14,213 
			 E09000003 Barnet. 13,799 14,335 
			 E09000004 Bexley 6,886 7,574 
			 E09000005 Brent 18,335 18,848 
			 E09000006 Bromley 12,601 12,954 
			 E09000007 Camden 25,649 26,368 
			 E09000008 Croydon 18,312 18,825 
			 E09000009 Ealing 21,376 21,974 
			 E09000010 Enfield 12,961 14,257 
			 E09000011 Greenwich 18,277 19,061 
			 E09000012 Hackney 29,005 29,818 
			 E09000013 Hammersmith and Fulham 20,287 20,855 
			 E09000014 Harinqey 17,587 18,189 
			 E09000015 Harrow 8,874 9,146 
			 E09000016 Havering 8,833 9,717 
			 E09000017 Hillingdon 15,281 15,709 
			 E09000018 Hounslow 12,804 14,084 
			 E09000019 Islington 24,737 25,429 
			 E09000020 Kensington and Chelsea 20,636 21,214 
			 E09000021 Kingston upon Thames 9,049 9,302 
			 E09000022 Lambeth 25,438 26,437 
			 E09000023 Lewisham 19,541 20,088 
			 E09000024 Merton 8,985 9,236 
			 E09000025 Newham 23,738 26,112 
			 E09000026 Redbridge 10,374 11,411 
			 E09000027 Richmond upon Thames 7,676 7,891 
			 E09000028 Southwark 21,809 22,946 
			 E09000029 Sutton 8,384 8,619 
			 E09000030 Tower Hamlets 31,382 32,261 
			 E09000031 Waltham Forest 11,161 12,277 
			 E09000032 Wandsworth 24,738 25,431 
			 E09000033 Westminster 30,384 31,235 
			 E06000035 Medway 13,170 14,280 
			 E06000036 Bracknell Forest 2,772 3,049 
			 E06000037 West Berkshire 4,381 4,819 
			 E06000038 Reading 7,466 8,212 
			 E06000039 Slough 4,988 5,487 
			 E06000040 Windsor and Maidenhead 3,192 3,511 
			 E06000041 Wokingham 3,839 4,223 
			 E06000042 Milton Keynes 7,989 8,788 
			 E06000043 Brighton and Hove 18,185 18,695 
			 E06000044 Portsmouth 15,737 16,178 
			 E06000045 Southampton 14,313 15,050 
			 E06000046 Isle of Wight 5,922 6,088 
			 E10000002 Buckinghamshire 15,681 17,249 
			 E10000011 East Sussex 23,839 24,507 
			 E10000014 Hampshire 36,753 40,428 
			 E10000016 Kent 49,843 54,827 
		
	
	
		
			 E10000025 Oxfordshire 25,264 26,086 
			 E10000030 Surrey 23,237 25,561 
			 E10000032 West Sussex 26,698 27,445 
			 E06000022 Bath and North East Somerset 7,183 7,384 
			 E06000023 Bristol, City of 27,313 29,122 
			 E06000024 North Somerset 7,381 7,593 
			 E06000025 South Gloucestershire 6,677 7,345 
			 E06000026 Plymouth 11,160' 12,276 
			 E06000027 Torbay 7,150 7,351 
			 E06000028 Bournemouth 7,542 8,296 
			 E06000029 Poole 5,892 6,057 
			 E06000030 Swindon 7,891 8,680 
			 E06000052 Cornwall 17,839 18,339 
			 E06000053 Isles of Scilly 71 73 
			 E06000054 Wiltshire 13,261 14,587 
			 E10000008 Devon 20,748 22,060 
			 E10000009 Dorset 12,538 12,889 
			 E10000013 Gloucestershire 21,126 21,793 
			 E10000027 Somerset 14,103 15,513 
			     
			  England 2,661,794 2,793,775

Sepsis

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will implement a national awareness campaign surrounding early diagnosis of sepsis.

Daniel Poulter: The Department has already taken steps to raise awareness of sepsis. This includes setting objectives in the NHS mandate requiring the national health service to provide a high quality of patient care and ensuring that the NHS outcomes framework for 2013-14 includes patient safety outcomes and corresponding indicators.
	Furthermore, we understand that NHS England is also collaborating with Dr Ron Daniels, who was instrumental in developing the “Sepsis Six” protocols for treating sepsis, to embed awareness of these protocols in NHS practice. The protocols set out six key steps in the effective diagnosis and treatment of sepsis.
	The recognition and management of sepsis is also part of a clinical audit of emergency departments by the College of Emergency Medicine, which will be concluded by 31 January 2014. This audit is listed in the Department's quality accounts for 2013-14, which requires providers in England to report on their participation in national clinical audits.

Skin Cancer

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of skin cancer were diagnosed in each year for which data is available.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated November 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of skin cancer were diagnosed in each year for which data is available.
	Table 1 provides the number of newly diagnosed cases of malignant melanoma of skin for men, women and all persons in England, for each year from 1971 to 2011.
	The latest published figures on cancer incidence in England are available on the National Statistics website at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob1/cancer-statistics-registrations--england--series-mb1-/index.html
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of newly diagnosed cases of malignant melanoma of skin(1), by sex, England, 1971 to 2011(2) 
			 Registrations 
			 Year Males Females Persons 
			 1971 357 735 1,092 
			 1972 420 825 1,245 
			 1973 446 909 1,355 
			 1974 476 958 1,434 
			 1975 525 962 1,487 
			 1976 510 1,036 1,546 
			 1977 520 1,024 1,544 
			 1978 558 1,088 1,646 
			 1979 632 1,205 1,837 
			 1980 682 1,292 1,974 
			 1981 738 1,419 2,157 
			 1982 753 1,496 2,249 
			 1983 821 1,588 2,409 
			 1984 800 1,593 2,393 
			 1985 1,074 1,947 3,021 
			 1986 1,084 1,943 3,027 
			 1987 1,245 2,210 3,455 
			 1988 1,494 2,435 3,929 
			 1989 1,367 2,322 3,689 
			 1990 1,460 2,104 3,564 
			 1991 1,445 2,181 3,626 
			 1992 1,607 2,443 4,050 
			 1993 1,843 2,755 4,598 
			 1994 1,850 2,745 4,595 
			 1995 1,926 2,851 4,777 
			 1996 1,975 2,797 4,772 
			 1997 2,167 2,883 5,050 
		
	
	
		
			 1998 2,251 2,919 5,170 
			 1999 2,293 3,066 5,359 
			 2000 2,660 3,379 6,039 
			 2001 2,826 3,638 6,464 
			 2002 2,973 3,745 6,718 
			 2003 3,109 3,886 6,995 
			 2004 3,489 4,238 7,727 
			 2005 3,790 4,472 8,262 
			 2006 4,154 4,817 8,971 
			 2007 4,295 4,820 9,115 
			 2008 4,756 5,180 9,936 
			 2009 4,872 5,204 10,076 
			 2010 5,198 5,560 10,758 
			 2011 5,440 5,681 11,121 
			 (1) For the years 1971-1978 and 1979-1994 malignant melanoma skin cancer was coded to 172 in the International Statistical Classification of Diseases 8th and 9th revisions (ICD-8, ICD-9) respectively. For 1995-2011 malignant melanoma skin cancer is coded to C43 in the International Statistical Classification of Disease 10th Revision (ICD-10). (2) Newly diagnosed cases registered in each calendar year.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Marriage

Tim Loughton: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what recent discussions she has had with the Church of England on allowing blessings for same sex unions in Church of England premises.

Edward Vaizey: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
	Ministers and officials have had regular discussions with the Church of England in the context of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013. These have not addressed the question of whether blessings of same sex couples should be allowed, which is entirely a matter for the Church of England.